And they lived happily ever after...

It all started at Kit Carson Middle School... where Michael and I were two random teenagers who had no clue that our lives would be forever intertwined; that no matter the precipice of events to come, life always found a funny way of bringing us back at a crossroads. I was an introverted nerd who kept to myself and my inner circle of friends whereas Michael was an outgoing soccer player who couldn't help but get into trouble from time-to-time. We were polar opposites and yet through mutual friends, we always found ourselves constantly around one another. My first impression of Michael was that he was a dumb and annoying teenage boy who was self-centered but easy on the eyes. According to Michael, his first impression was that I was an enigma - a wallflower that he couldn't decipher which intimidated yet intrigued him. We were always cordial but never engaged in anything more than small talk throughout seventh and eighth grade. We ended up going to the same high school for freshman year where a close friend of ours tried to set us up to date. Although the seed was planted, unfortunately, it wasn't the right time for us as a couple so nothing came of it. It was, however, a step in the right direction as we found ourselves wondering "what if" and toying with the idea of crossing the threshold from acquaintances to friends and maybe even a couple one day. This 'secret crush' was cut short as I ended up transferring to a different school in the middle of the year - thus losing all contact with Michael. I really thought I was never going to see him again since I found myself with new surroundings and friends... little did I know that life had other plans.

After almost two years of no contact, Michael and I ended up transferring to West Campus High School our junior year and we were surprised to run into each other on the first day of school. Rather than picking up where we left off as each other's 'secret crush', our rapport as friendly acquaintances fizzled out and I attributed this to the fact that we ran with different crowds and seemed to have nothing in common. However, I was unaware that Michael was hesitant to pursue something with me because I had dated a close friend of his which prevented him from seeking more. It appeared that our circumstances resigned us to admire each other from afar yet again but with even more distance between us than before. After we graduated high school in 2013, unbeknownst to either one of us, we ended up at the same community college. Michael was still engaged in immature shenanigans whereas I became more reclusive and focused on my academics. We were going down completely different paths that seemed like they would never cross. It wasn't until February 2, 2014 that a mutual friend of ours invited me to go bowling with her and some friends - little did I know that Michael was one of those friends. Two different agendas were simultaneous occurring that night... I was trying to play matchmaker for my friend and Michael but, in a hilarious turn of events, Michael was now determined to take advantage of this renewed opportunity to finally pursue something more than cordial antics and small talk with me. Throughout the night, I kept trying to avoid Michael and keep my distance but his attention was solely on me and eventually we fell into a dynamic of playful and flirtatious banter that ran its course until the early morning.

After the events that occurred on the night of bowling, from that day forward, Michael and I were inseparable. We found ourselves pleasantly surprised with the compelling chemistry and shared connection between us that was new, intriguing, deeply beautiful yet familiarly comfortable. It was surreal to us that finally, after so many years of just 'knowing of one another', we were getting to truly learn who we were as individuals and actually had far more common-ground than either one of us ever could have predicted. There were even times that it felt as if we had known each other our whole lives and weren't just dating for a couple of months. Everything seemed to naturally fall into its rightful place and by April 6, 2014 - Michael officially asked me to be his girlfriend and as they say, "the rest is history". It's definitely a cliché but after so many strange coincidences, Michael and I truly believe that we were destined to meet and, from that moment on, our fates were tied together - regardless of the time, place, or circumstances. This validated that God had bigger plans where we were supposed to go through our own journey and experiences to become the people we were meant to fall in love with later on in life. The red string that bound us together endured - no matter how stretched or tangled it became... it never broke and will never break. We revolved around each other for years, never truly connecting, until God finally decided to one day bring us onto the same path so that we could go through the journey of life together and embark on our greatest adventure.