After weeks of delayed messages on Hinge, they decided to get bubble tea at UMACHA for their first date. Kristie ordered a brown sugar boba and Austin ordered his usual ceylon black tea. They walked around Edgewater and talked for hours. Kristie had a date scheduled with a different guy the next day, but instead she asked Austin if he was free. They had their second date less than 24 hours later where they grabbed dinner and watched Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. They haven't stopped hanging out since.
Kristie and Austin booked a trip to Paris. Austin originally had no intention of proposing there, but then less than 2 weeks before the trip it seemed to be the perfect opportunity and place. Unfortunately, Austin decided to eat some old bacon that was left over in the fridge the night before the flight and got really bad food poisoning during the first 3 days of the trip. Meanwhile, Kristie had a wonderful time in Paris, exploring the sights and eating the most delicious Parisian foods. On the 5th day of the trip, Austin finally gathered enough energy to leave the hotel and suggested visiting the Eiffel Tower to watch the lightshow at nightfall. Since they were out the whole day, both of their phones were out of battery. Austin suggested buying a portable charger from one of the street vendors, but Kristie did not allow it thinking it was an unnecessary purchase. Little did Kristie know, Austin had plans to propose and wanted to capture the moment. With the lights twinkling on the Eiffel tower during sunset and while admiring the lights, Austin pulled out a ring box from his bag and got down on one knee. There were tears, laughter, and of course shock at how well Austin had kept it a secret. They walked for hours back to the hotel in the middle of the night, talking about the future with no working phones, no Uber, no Google Maps, and little idea of how to get back to the hotel. They would not have had it any other way. *To memorialize the occasion, they went back to the Eiffel Tower the next day to take pictures and recreate that special moment*
Stay tuned...