Despite Justin telling people we “met on the street,” our love story starts the way all classic, old-fashioned romances do... online. After a few days of messaging back and forth, mostly sarcastic one-liners (by Lauren) and subtle #vibechecks, we realized we lived just a few blocks apart and shared a mutual love for South Boston's east side. So we made a plan to meet up for drinks. Fancy cocktails, South End, good lighting. Things seemed promising. But just moments before the date, Lauren cancelled. Ouch... To be fair, she had just moved back to Boston after a surgery and wasn’t exactly in peak small-talk-with-a-stranger form. But still—Justin was already at the bar. And he was... not amused. The next morning, fueled by guilt and curiosity, Lauren texted one word: “Brunch?” To everyone's surprise (including hers), Justin said yes. What started as pancakes turned into bar hopping in a snowstorm, and ended with an impromptu Super Bowl party with Lauren’s friends. Somewhere between mimosas and kickoff, something just clicked. Most great love stories don’t start with a no-show, but luckily, Justin’s great with second chances.