Matt and Mia’s story begins during the summer of 2021 at a Space Jam watch party in LA, hosted by a mutual friend from their church. Mia remembers briefly meeting Matt, but didn’t think much of it at the time. Matt, however, definitely noticed Mia. After the party, he reached out to their mutual friend to ask who she was and their friend excitedly offered to set them up on a group date. On the group date, they hit it off and somewhere between The Rose in Venice, Salt & Straw ice cream, a worship night, and great conversation, Matt and Mia realized they had the exact same birthday: August 1. But instead of diving straight into the romance, they spent the next three years building a friendship that would become the foundation of everything that followed. Their time together was filled with five-hour dinners, wine tastings, and countless catch-ups where Mia happily over shared every twist in her love life to a very patient Matt. Friends would often ask if something was going on between them. But the answer was always the same: “No, we’re just friends!” Then came early 2024. Mia decided it was time for a new adventure and was planning a move to Washington DC. In February, during one of their classic marathon dinners at Harriet's Rooftop, Matt decided it was finally time to take a leap of faith. Before Mia left, he told her he liked her. Mia admitted she liked him too but was nervous. Their friendship meant so much, and she didn’t want to risk losing it. She said she’d think about it, and for the moment, they left things there. Fast forward to Easter Sunday 2024 and what is now famously known as "the suit". Mia was on stage singing a solo at church when Matt walked in wearing a gray suit that quite literally made her stop in her tracks. Suddenly, those “just friends” feelings didn’t feel so simple anymore. Mia told her friends she might be starting to see Matt a little differently. The next day, she worked up the courage to voice note him and asked if they could grab brunch at Hilltop and take a walk that weekend. During that walk, Mia told Matt she wanted to explore their relationship romantically and see what it would be like if they tried being more than friends. Matt’s response? “Of course not.” After enjoying her moment of panic (something he may or may not have experienced himself earlier in the process), he quickly ended the joke and told her that he, of course, felt the same. And just like that, the friendship that had been quietly growing for years turned into something more. The rest, as they say, is history...and Mia never moved to DC after all.