Nicole and Klayton had many mutual friends and often saw each other at parties and get togethers, however, they never really talked to each other. One night in the Spring of 2020, for one of their friend’s birthdays, they went out in Columbia . That night Klayton said he was going to be Nicole’s “fake boyfriend” after he overheard her complaining about boys. They spent the evening dancing and talking. Then Nicole went home for COVID and they didn’t really talk again until the fall. In the fall of 2020, Klayton moved in with one of Nicole’s best friends. They spent almost every night in the fall watching movies with Simkins, Zane, and Carson. Once deer season started, the other boys started hunting in the evenings. So Klayton and Nicole were the only ones that showed up for movie night and Klayton made them dinner. They were practically inseparable after that. Nicole and Klayton’s first official date was to Olive Garden on November 6th, 2020. After dinner, they watched a Walk to Remember. For other first dates Nicole had been on, she would only eat half of her dinner and save the rest for later. Nicole knew Klayton was the one because she inhaled her entire order of pasta without hesitation. The next day, they introduced each other to their families. It all felt so right and easy for them both! Nicole knew Klayton was the one before they even started dating. In early October of 2020, Klayton and his roommates had people over to their apartment to hangout. They spent the evening playing games and talking. People began trickling out and in the end it was just Nicole and Klayton left. They talked until 7 in the morning. They laughed all night and learned all about each other. Nicole knew after that night that she had that “when you know you know” feeling that people always talk about!

Nicole and Klayton were going on their yearly lake trip with their friends. Nicole’s best friend, Clara, came over the night before the trip to make snacks and get everything together. Clara was acting weird, so Nicole asked her what was wrong. She said she had a test to take before they left the next day, so Nicole didn’t think anything of it. Little did Nicole know, she was nervous because Klayton gave her the ring that night to take down the next day and she was going early to get everything set up for him. The next day, they drove down to the lake. Once they all got to their Airbnb, Nicole’s two best friends were already there, which she thought was odd because she thought they were coming later. As Nicole started unpacking their food into the Airbnb. There were bottles of champagne in the freezer which she thought was weird. But Nicole thought the last airbnb guests probably left them on accident. Klayton said, “Yeah I think they left stuff out on the dock too”. Nicole walked out there and saw the flower petals, pictures, and a cute setup on the dock. Nicole thought, “Awe, someone got engaged.” Once she got closer, she realized the pictures were of her and Klayton and realized what was happening! Once they got on the dock, Klayton popped the question and Nicole said yes! Nearby people in the lake cheered for them and her friends recorded from the deck. After the sweet proposal, Nicole and Klayton called their families to share the good news. Nicole held back the tears until Klayton’s little sisters cheered on Facetime! Then they spent the weekend celebrating with their friends at the lake!