Sam and I met just before COVID-19 hit while we were both at the University of Alabama. I decided to go to his fraternity party last minute with a friend, and Sam jumped into a photo with us. I immediately turned to my friends and asked, "Who’s that?" They told me, “That’s Sam Sykstus, he’s a senior.” Naturally, I followed him on Instagram, and before I knew it, Sam messaged me and asked if I’d be his date for an upcoming party. As he loves to joke, “She said no!” – but in my defense, I was already planning on going to that party, so I couldn’t cancel. However, I left the door open and told him I’d go with him to the next one. The next thing I knew, Sam asked me out on a real date. He picked me up from my house on Meador Drive, where we discovered that we had actually been next-door neighbors for an entire year without ever knowing each other! We went to Loosa (where I embarrassingly forgot my ID and wallet, so Sam had to drive me back home to grab them), followed by Alcove in Tuscaloosa. When I got home that night, I remember feeling like I had the biggest crush on this guy. I couldn’t wait to tell my roommates about it, and the next day, I patiently waited for his text. My sorority sisters kept asking, “Has he texted you yet?” – and of course, he did! Once the pandemic hit, we really became inseparable. We spent so much time together and grew close very quickly. Five years later, here we are!