In 2017, I moved back to Missouri but still visited Delaware a lot to see family. Matt and I followed each other on Instagram, chatted for a week, and then promptly realized that a cross-state romance wasn’t exactly in the cards. Fast forward to February of 2020, I was living back in Delaware when Matt and I met up at a bar........then we didn’t speak for a month! During that month, a pandemic hit, and the world changed. Suddenly, everything came to a halt. No plans, no distractions—just time to reflect and reassess. Looking back at that night at the bar, we realize that we weren't meant to meet at that exact moment; the timing wasn’t right yet. But in the middle of all that uncertainty, Covid created this strange space where we were forced to slow down. Both of us have always had a passion for fitness, and with gyms closed, Matt suggested we meet up for a workout at a local state park. It seemed like a perfect way to reconnect and enjoy the simplicity of being outside, just focusing on each other and something we both loved. That one workout turned into many more workouts, date nights in Philly and so on and so forth. What started as a way to pass the time during lockdown blossomed into something deeper. In a world turned upside down, we discovered not just companionship but a genuine partnership. That unexpected twist of fate became a reminder that sometimes the best things come when you least expect them, transforming uncertainty into a beautiful beginning for us both.