The year was 2020, COVID was taking the world by storm and two girls had the idea to start nursing school. Nikayla had just moved out on her own into an apartment on Chestnut Street. Kelley was a recent college drop out working and living by herself in Oakmont. Neither of them expected to meet their future wife when they started nursing school, this could be because neither of them were out as gay. But this isn't a story about that. This is a story about how two girls ended up in the elevator together on their way to nursing school orientation. If you asked both of them, they would recount this in two very different ways. Kelley's would go something like this "I was so nervous walking in that day. I knew it was the first day of my future and after dropping out of college, I felt I had to do it right. That's why when I walked in that first day and didn't know where to go, I was flustered but me and 3 other girls found an elevator and figured it had to lead somewhere. We got in and I looked across the elevator to see a girl with blonde dyed hair curled to perfection, piercing blue eyes, and a cheetah mask covering the rest of her face. I was intimidated that someone could be that naturally beautiful so instantly I thought she must be a mean girl. By the time the elevator landed on floor two, I had it in my head that I really did not want the girl who was wearing a cheetah mask in my clinical group." That girl would end up being the love of her life, but she wouldn't realize until months later. If you asked Nikayla, "I had no idea I met Kelley on the elevator that day. I was so nervous the only thing I was thinking about was getting off the elevator. All I remember is someone in it made a joke about the weather, thinking of it now it had to be Kelley. I don't remember meeting kelley until about 3 weeks into our school clinicals. I got to lab/ lecture earlier than her so I stole the seat that she had been sitting in because I no longer wanted to sit in the second row of class. Kelley got to school and of course made a comment. To this I apologized for stealing her seat and she sat next to me. We got through lecture and had lunch break, Kelley returned to the seat next to me with hot dogs and kraft mac and cheese. I think this is when I fell in love with her."

For months they were each other's best friends. Together every minute they didn't have obligations to be elsewhere, living between each other's apartments, texting from sunrise to sunset. Some would say it was pathetic how they would find ways to see each other. For example, Nikayla "left" things behind at Kelley's apartment so she could stop by the next night to pick them up. Often times they would lose track of time together, staying up until 3 am watching The Wilds or Great British Baking show. Looking back on it, nothing about their friendship should have been classified as anything but being completely obsessed with one another. Nikayla hates her birthday, Kelley knew this but still wanted to treat her to a special night. This was because Nikayla made a point to say that all she wants for her birthday was to see Kelley. (Just friends). So for a present Kelley composed a whole book of poems about their "friendship". Had it printed as a hardback, picked up flowers and balloons and set up her living room. This was when Kelley knew Nikayla was going to be her forever, she had never felt so strongly about anyone else. Nikayla came in and knew how special she was to Kelley. Fast forward 2 hours and we put on a movie and Nikayla lays on Kelley's lap. A thing that had occurred 500 times leading up to this moment. Neither of them can recall the movie that was on, but Nikayla decided to make a smart comment about one of the scenes. In this moment Kelley knew she could not last another day not kissing her, but in a black out moment she gave her what she describes as "worse than a 3rd graders peck" on the lips. Neither of them talked for an hour after this. After an hour Nikayla mentioned to Kelley that she wanted to meet her family. Kelley laughed and said, "that would make a real mess of things." Nik asked "Why?" Kelley said "Because they would know I am in love with you." Two weeks later they were at the Swick's Easter as girlfriends.