Our story began on the 4th of July, 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. With socializing being a rare thing at the time, my sister, Courtney, and I decided to attend a small party hosted by my work friend, Ashley, who was engaged (now married with a little one) to Jon—Wesley’s big brother. It wasn’t exactly planned, but Ashley and Jon had been telling us for months that we’d really hit it off if we met. Of course, I wasn’t expecting much—just looking forward to some social interaction after months of isolation. Wesley, on the other hand, almost missed the party entirely. But when Jon texted him about brats on the grill, Wesley couldn’t resist. Wes's beard and flannel shirt (in the middle of summer) immediately caught my attention. It didn’t take long before I found myself chatting with him. The conversation started with something as trivial as the watermelon flavor of White Claws—something I absolutely can’t stand. Wes, on the other hand, liked it, so I offered him the ones from my pack that I had brought. From there, the conversation just flowed so naturally. There was no awkwardness, no forced small talk, just an easy connection. After a couple of hours at the party, Courtney and I decided to head out. As we were driving home, I couldn’t help but text Ashley, telling her I was really into Wes. Wes was still hanging out with Jon and Ashley, and they were just as excited to tell him that I was interested. Wes felt the same way, and I'm pretty sure we had a group hang planned for the following weekend before the night was over. The rest, as they say, is history.