It was peak pandemic and a simple match was made on Hinge. Brandon sent over a well crafted comment and Miri sent back the equivalent of a thumbs up. Not to be deterred, Brandon tried again. 3 days later, a response! From there they were off and running.

After weeks of chatting and countless facetimes, Miri finally asked Brandon, sarcastically, whether it was about time they took this metaverse relationship into the real world. So, a few days later, they met at a weird brunch spot between Culver and Agoura. Miri was panicking on the drive over and called her friend, Amy. "What if he sucks in real life? What if there is no spark like there is on the phone?" Finally, Miri arrived and parked down the street. When Miri walked up to Brandon's table, where he was patiently waiting, the waitress spotted her and brought out two freshly made Bloody Mary's that Brandon had surreptitiously ordered before Miri arrived. * swoooon * Miri and Brandon chatted for two hours. Eventually, the waitress apologetically had to kick Miri and Brandon out because of covid era time limits. But Brandon had another trick up his sleeve. As he walked Miri back to her car, he said, "If you don't want this to end yet, I booked us a reservation at a mini golf course down the street." *swooon*. So, Miri cancelled the work call that had been disrespectfully added to her schedule for a Sunday afternoon, and took a chance on Brandon at the mini golf course. It was the best decision she ever made.