We met at UNCW, where fate, rowing, and a well-timed joke brought us together. Quinn had just returned from the Army and was looking for something new to dive into—something active, challenging, and a little different. Rowing seemed like it might be just the thing. Laurel was the vice president of the rowing team, and when Quinn showed up to the interest meeting, he asked the very important question: “Can we wear Viking hats while rowing?” That was all it took—Laurel laughed and thought, Yep, this guy’s weird enough to be my best friend. From day one, our friendship was full of banter and inside jokes. Quinn would pretend to “drown” during training just to test if Laurel, a certified lifeguard, would come to his rescue (spoiler: she didn’t fall for it). The sarcasm was strong. The eye rolls were frequent. And the laughs were constant. As we spent more time together, hanging out after practices and getting to know each other outside of rowing, Quinn started getting attached—and Laurel was right there with him. It didn’t happen all at once, but over time, our fun friendship grew into something more meaningful. When spring break rolled around, we planned a cruise with one of our close friends. We rented a car and Laurel drove us all the way to Florida—with Quinn as navigator. Let’s just say there were a lot of scenic detours (a.k.a. U-turns), but somehow, we made it. On the cruise, we were inseparable. Whether it was exploring the ship, trying new food, or laughing at the comedy shows, we kept finding ourselves next to each other—on purpose. Meanwhile, our friend was off making cruise-besties and living their best party life, leaving us to discover just how much we loved spending time together. The flight home turned into a day of airport layovers, tired eyes, and a whole lot of flirting. By the time we landed in Wilmington, something had shifted. Laurel dropped off our friend at campus, and then was on the way to drop Quinn off at his apartment. Her plan? To finally tell him how she felt—but only once they were in front of his apartment, just in case it totally backfired and she could make a quick getaway. His plan? To tell her first—because somewhere between the scenic detours and late-night cruise talks, he realized that things had changed. After the trip, there was no going back to being just friends the way they were before. So he decided to take the leap and tell Laurel he liked her. Before we were even off campus, Quinn told Laurel he liked her. We sat outside his apartment talking for nearly an hour—about how we felt, what this all meant, and (hilariously) realizing we didn’t even have each other’s phone numbers yet. We exchanged them that night. The next day, we went on our first official date to the Oceanic, with the ocean breeze and butterflies in full effect. What started with a Viking hat and some sarcastic pool drama turned into a love story we wouldn’t trade for the world. And now? We’re so excited to keep writing the next chapters—together.