Like many modern love stories, ours began online. After messaging back and forth for a while, we realized we actually enjoyed talking to each other — which already felt promising. A couple of months earlier, I had booked an amazing 12-course “hors d’oeuvres & drinks” experience at a speakeasy. It was one of those impossible-to-get reservations, so of course I grabbed two tickets. My backup plan? If I didn’t meet anyone worthy, I’d take a friend and live my best life anyway. As the date approached, I figured… why not ask Jason? Nothing says “casual first date” like a multi-hour, 12-course food and drink extravaganza. I even offered to pay my half because, let’s be honest, this wasn’t exactly a coffee meet-up. Jason confidently said he’d cover it — bold move. So we met. Somewhere between course number who-knows-what and drink number we’ll-never-tell, we realized we were having a genuinely great time. The conversation was easy, the chemistry was real, and at one point Jason responsibly suggested we walked around the block to “get some fresh air” (which we both agreed was a very mature decision). Before we said goodnight, he asked if I wanted to go to a concert that weekend. I said yes — because when you survive a 12-course first date together, a concert feels like a reasonable next step. And the rest is history.