Chapter One: The Moment We Met We met at Zaxby’s, of all places. Not exactly a scene pulled from a romance novel — and honestly, our first impression of each other wasn’t great. I was rude. There’s no softer way to say it. When Jaime said hi to me, I ignored him completely. I walked right past him while he was working the dine-in station in the back, barely giving him a glance. To him, that moment was enough to decide: Screw her. I don’t like her. What neither of us knew then was that this awkward, slightly unfriendly beginning would one day become our favorite origin story — proof that love doesn’t always arrive gently. Sometimes it shows up quietly, waiting for the right moment to be seen. ⸻ Chapter Two: Learning Each Other About a month into working together, something shifted. We started talking more and becoming friends. We realized we had both gone to Mars Hill, which felt like a small but meaningful connection. I invited Jaime out for pho with some coworkers — and he stood us up. Completely. At the time, I didn’t know whether to be annoyed or amused. Still, we kept crossing paths. We hung out at school sometimes, and little by little, I realized he was actually a really cool person — and an even better friend. We watched Harry Potter together, talked trash about my roommates (they truly were the worst), and shared those easy moments that don’t feel important at the time, but end up meaning everything. Without trying to, we were learning each other. ⸻ Chapter Three: Choosing You November 14, 2021. We went to an escape room with his roommates and one of his roommate’s girlfriends. I was terrible at it — truly awful — and to this day I refuse to ever do one again. Afterward, we went back to his house. Somewhere between the chaos and the laughter, I reached my breaking point. I asked his friends, “When is he going to ask me out? At this point, I’m going to do it.” While the girlfriend and I ran to the store, Jaime was planning something of his own. When we got back, I walked into the house and saw Modelo’s lined up, each one with a sticky note spelling out if I would be his girlfriend. There were sticky notes shaped into a heart with one sticky note in the center of the heart with a cute message, that I still have to this day. I cried immediately. Of course I said yes. And we all celebrated with Modelo’s. That night wasn’t just about becoming official — it was about choosing each other. ⸻ Chapter Four: The Question April 5, 2025. I knew we were going on a birthday trip to Savannah, Georgia. I knew my family would be there, along with his family and my three college friends. What I didn’t know was everything else. I didn’t know Jaime had flown my two childhood friends in from Texas to surprise me in Asheville. I didn’t know my other parents and my grandma would also be there “just to celebrate my birthday.” I didn’t know what he was planning — only that the weekend felt full of love. We laughed, drank, spent time on a boat, and made memories I’ll always hold onto. At one point, I had to pee so badly I ran off to find a bathroom. When I came back, everyone was waiting for me by the Waterfront fountain. They started singing “Happy Birthday.” Pictures were being taken. Then Jaime walked up beside me — and suddenly got down on one knee. In that moment, everything made sense. He proposed. I said yes. I cried all my makeup off. And just like that, the boy I once ignored at Zaxby’s became the man I chose forever. ⸻ This is our story — imperfect, funny, unexpected, and completely ours. And every day, I’m grateful that we found each other exactly the way we did. Because the day our forever began didn’t look like a fairytale at first — but it turned into the most beautiful one I know.