Brian tightened his tie and ran a comb through his hair one last time. He's worked at Charles Schwab for one week already, but that first week, between Christmas and News Year's, had been pretty light. Colleagues who had taken off during the holidays would return today. One of those colleagues was named Stephanie. "Yikes. Smart and pretty. Not going there. I don't want to have any part of an office romance," Brian thought to himself. And for a few months, he viewed the relationship strictly in those terms—good colleagues who got along. Then, Covid shut down the country and forced Schwab employees to work from home. After a couple of weeks, people began to grow restless. "Does anybody want to go on a socially-distanced hike?" Brian asked his teammates. A few people showed some interest, but for a variety of reasons, they couldn't commit. Stephanie, however, lived within a couple of miles and said she also wanted to get out of the house—the only firm yes. In the back of his mind, Brian thought, "Stay professional. She's a work friend, but that's all. Keep it there." But over the next few weeks, as they hiked more, played games, and watched TV, the feelings became too strong to ignore. Finally, after a night of playing board games and binge-watching Netflix, as Brian walked Stephanie to her car, they shared their first kiss. The rest, as they say, is history.

Over the Summer of 2021, Stephanie and Brian planned a little getaway to celebrate Brian's upcoming birthday. Enchanted Rock, a short drive (by Texas standards) from Austin, is a certified dark sky area and clearly a perfect setting to view the scheduled meteor shower that coincided with their trip. After hiking to the top of Enchanted Rock, they enjoyed the view, used Brian's new binoculars (to look at pretty much everything - big and small :P), and soaked in the beautiful views. Right at sunset, Brian knelt down and made Stephanie the happiest woman in the world by proposing. That was followed by multiple shooting star sightings and the awe that naturally accompanies a view of the solar system hand in hand with the person you will have by your side forever.