After my first few weeks at college, I was beginning to settle into my new social life. I had made some new friends who one day invited me over to their dorm to play Super Smash. I eagerly put away my homework and walked over to their dorm. When I went through the door, my friends weren't there yet, but I saw this cute guy that I didn't recognize, sitting on the couch. "Which pod do you live in?" I asked after we introduced ourselves. "Um, this is my dorm." Leon said, chuckling. I sat down in the chair across from him and he explained that because of his job, he wasn't at the dorm very often. After that, we slipped seamlessly into effortless conversation about where we were from, our majors, our families, etc. He made lots of eye contact and asked intentional questions. Eventually, his roommates returned and we began playing video games. We joked as easily as we talked. Everything about our interactions was easy. I became more comfortable and happy around him more than anyone else. He is my best friend, and will be for the rest of my life.

I picked a quiet spot just past Idaho Springs where the leaves were turning with fall. There was enough color to make it feel special without being too well-known to be too crowded. We chatted and walked up the trail as a little sprinkle came down. I tried to act normal while my heart was going crazy knowing my family was already up there, hiding and waiting to watch and take photos. When we reached the clearing, there was a small bouqet of flowers that lay there and immediately caught her eye. Before I could overthink it, I dropped to one knee and asked her to marry me. Her first response was, "NO WAY!" followed by of course, yes, then everyone came out of the trees cheering and laughing while my sister captured the moment with her camera. Just like that, all the nerves were gone and it felt easy, like it was always supposed to happen this way. Later, we went down to Beau Jo's, where her family was waiting, and we all sat around eating pizza, celebrating together. Simple and perfect.