Nathan and Karlee first met in 2021 while they were both attending BYU. Their mutual friend Christian organized a Percy Jackson themed capture the flag with foam swords. They didn't interact much past this until they both moved to Tennessee. Nathan was accepted at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville for his PhD program, so he moved to Knoxville in 2023. Karlee moved to South Carolina in 2023, but she would come back to Tennessee every few weeks to visit her family who live in Maryville. One week she decided to go to a class at the Institute of Religion with her younger sister. When she walked in, she immediately recognized Nathan as someone she knew from BYU, though admittedly not very well. It was an odd experience for both of them as they were not expecting someone they knew from BYU to show up. Karlee moved back to the Knoxville area in 2024, and Nathan and Karlee grew closer as friends. Some of their favorite pastimes together included talking about books, playing TTRPGs, and sassing their mutual friend Daniel. Karlee joined the church choir to support Nathan, and Nathan helped Karlee with her garden. In October 2025, they both attended the wedding of a mutual friend and spent the entire night talking. Several people asked Karlee if Nathan was her boyfriend, to which she replied, "No." During their conversation at this wedding, Nathan did ask Karlee out, though she was confused if it was a date or just a hang out. Turns out Nathan had meant for it to be a date, and the rest is history.