Meghan: Peter and I met on our first day at Susquehanna University. Assigned to the same orientation group, Peter struck up a conversation with me about my hometown of Quakertown. Ironically, one of Peter's good friends from George School, Vijay, was from Quakertown and attended middle school with me. Unfortunately for Peter, he also brought up my least favorite place in Quakertown, the Q-mart, and I expressed my disgust. Not realizing that Peter thought I hated our conversation, I waved to him when we walked by each other on campus a few days later, but he "didn't see me." Peter: "You're from Quakertown?" I asked Meghan on the first day of college orientation, noting the hometown printed on her nametag. In quick succession, I followed with, "Do you know Vijay Singh? Have you ever been to the Qmart?" The first question referred to a dear friend from high school and the second referred to a seedy farmers' market in the aforementioned borough. These were my best attempts to strike up conversation and build rapport, but the look on Meghan's face and her responses indicated that she was not interested.

Meghan: During sophomore year, Peter had many classes with my friends, Amanda and Zach. He soon started joining us for meals in the cafeteria. It didn't take long for Amanda and Zach to begin to plot ways for Peter and I to "fall in love." Not one to want to prove people right, I denied my feelings for Peter for several months as Amanda and Zach bailed on meals and left in the middle of movies to give us alone time. Peter: After my two closest friends transferred, I entered sophomore year needing friends. Amanda and Zach were in my Research Methods class and began inviting me to join them for lunch afterwards, filling me with relief. One afternoon, I was told that their other friend would join us who was a "PR major with brown curly hair." I immediately recognized their friend as the person who helped liberate me from any delusions I had about my ability to cajole women with my wit. Over the fall, the four of us regularly met for meals, which expanded into other social situations. I began to wonder if I had a second chance with Meghan. Amanda, Zach, and my roommate, Arley, dropped hints in various ways. Amanda and Zach took an empirical approach, asking me to rate a series of infant photos based on cuteness. Little did I know that within the array of pictures was a digitally-rendered composite of what Meghan and I's baby would look like. Arley was more direct; he said I needed to grow a pair.

Meghan's side: Peter asked me to grab dinner off-campus on April 2, 2009 at Emma's Food for Life. I hated my grass-fed organic burger, but enjoyed the company. The following week, after an intervention from Amanda and Arley (under the guise of hiding Peter's birthday gift in my room), I asked Peter on our second date at BJs, a popular restaurant in Selinsgrove, for his birthday. A week later, Peter walked me back to my building after lunch, saying he forgot a book for his next class. It was raining and when it came time for us to part ways to our respective buildings, he asked me to be his girlfriend. Peter's side: Meghan and I began to spend time alone and developed our own rapport. Eventually, I got the nerve to ask her to eat dinner off campus. Meghan initiated our second date for my birthday. Was it possible that the same woman who seemed so ambivalent toward me one year before developed fondness toward me? I had to act. Through coaxing and reassurance from Amanda and Arley, I understood there was no easy way to reveal my feelings to Meghan. On a rainy Tuesday in mid-April, I said, "I'm not sure if you know this, but I like you." Meghan reciprocated and I went to Aesthetics class where my catharsis, euphoria and disbelief made it hard to concentrate on the philosophy of art.

Meghan: After dating for over eight years and growing and experiencing life's changes together, Peter planned an overnight trip for us to Selinsgrove - the town where we went to college and our relationship began. We walked through Susquehanna's campus and along the Susquehanna River and reminisced about our relationship and college days. When we reached a secluded spot along the river's edge, Peter proposed. Fittingly, we celebrated with dinner at our college hangout, BJs, where they seated us at the exact table where we sat on our second date. Peter: Nine years have past. We've graduated college, dated long-distance, entered careers, moved in together, learned to accommodate and accept each other's idiosyncrasies. We have felt joy, confusion, compassion, resentment, pride, and contentment towards each other. Next, we'll celebrate marriage. It makes me wonder if maybe my pickup lines weren't as lackluster as I originally thought they were 11 years ago.