Kaeli and Ben knew of each other in high school, as Ben dated someone Kaeli was friends with, making him off-limits. Over the years, they would run into each other around town or chat on Instagram. In the winter of 2021, Kaeli even forgot who he was during one of their encounters. In 2022, they reconnected through Instagram, sharing personal stories and deep conversations. That same year during the fall, Kaeli decided last minute to stop by Junk and Java, a local coffee shop before her shift at the restaurant she worked at. She saw Ben there and almost followed him out to ask him out, but instead, she went back inside and asked Nicole, Ben’s friend, if he was single. Nicole told her he wasn’t, so Kaeli figured she’d wait another three years. That evening, Ben was having dinner with Nicole and Mike, and thankfully, Nicole mentioned the interaction to Ben. About a week later, Ben reached out to Kaeli on Instagram, and they exchanged phone numbers, talking for hours on end. From there, the rest was history.