Fate said it was our second chance for high school romance, and it did not disappoint! We met while I was an intern at a high school in Chula Vista, where Bert taught special education math. So does that mean we qualify as high school sweethearts? He walked into the psych office and smiled and shook my hand, and I immediately thought, “he’s old Tess! You better lock those butterflies down! C’mon! This is not THE guy”. But I couldn’t resist his smile and gregarious personality. Bert’s recollection is a tad different. He recalls meeting me and thinking, “she’s nice” (Picture my facial expression). I later called bullsh*t on his sentiment and discovered he actually meant, “that’s what I told myself because you were WAAAY out of my league, and I never thought I stood a chance.” Bert remembers being completely shocked when he found out I was interested in him and immediately pursued me as all teenagers do by “sliding into my DM’s” on Instagram. The next few weeks consisted of texting back and forth, anxiously awaiting the next message from one another. The texts turned into lengthy phone calls, which led to video chats late into the night. Eventually, we grabbed a drink and saw a movie. He learned that I am very clumsy and scared of escalators, and I realized he likes to eat all the popcorn and stare at me, not the movie…. Slightly creepy, but I’m glad I gave him more opportunities to win me over :) Our first official date was about a month later. He took me to a beautiful restaurant with an unbelievable view of the San Diego skyline - It was awe-inspiring. So naturally, I thanked him by drinking too many Dirty Martinis and telling him I was dating a million other boys at the time. He thanked me for my honesty and continued sipping his hot pink cocktail with a hibiscus flower floating on top. A few dates later and we decided to meet up for a spontaneous drink at a restaurant by my house; I was telling him about my day, when he reached over, put his hands on my cheeks, and gave me the best first kiss I have ever had in my entire life!!!! I’m sure it was his too, but I’ll let him have this one! We’ve been together ever since!