Meg's Version: It was Meg’s Birthday (September 17th, 2021), and she had a beautiful picnic at a park in Los Angeles with friends to celebrate. However, when she came home she was disappointed she hadn't met a match after going on *many dates that year. She called her mom and the tears started flowing, but after hanging up decided to check out the dating app Hinge once more. To her surprise, she matched with a guy named James. He was handsome, seemed modest, and had some clever taglines she could relate to…something to do with food she thinks? He messaged her right away to set up a date the following Thursday. That's always a good sign, so she had a good feeling about him. Low and behold, the date couldn’t have gone better. Then there was a 2nd and a third, and she's so happy that she took another chance because each new moment is better than the last shared with James. James' Version: After spending the pandemic cooped up in a one bedroom apartment alone I grew tired of myself. I believed I was ready to bring another person into my life so they could grow tired of me too. Friends told me to "join the apps" even though I was proud of telling people the apps wouldn't work for a guy like me. I'm too "organic", whatever that means. My first three dates went terrible. The first one was over in half an hour, the second one looked nothing like her photos and the third one let me know while on the date that she had a boyfriend. I decided I was done with the apps. Before I deleted it forever I gave it one more quick glance and saw a really cute woman who was totally my type. There was a picture of her on a couch with a dog (her sister, Amanda's dog, Oatmeal) that made me swipe whichever way is the good way, I forget. Meg and I messaged and she told me it was her birthday and she was with friends. We went to a wine bar right near me the next week and within the first thirty minutes I knew I wanted to see her again. I liked how earnest and kind she was, how she seemed similarly genuinely curious about people and of course I didn't mind that she was quick to laugh when she knew I was trying to be funny. She told me she had set up a school for little kids during the pandemic which I thought was really savvy and impressive. Definitely something I could never do. I asked her out for a second date, we went to a wine spot near her house this time and since then she's become my best friend and future wife.