We're getting married!

Alec There she was...walking through the door at 123 Cedar Lane on December 5th, 2019. I never imagined I would develop feelings for Olivia Giordano. Was I just tired from the 40 hour flight? Was it just another crush? What was I actually feeling? After a short month back visiting NJ, my family and I were back in India. Over the next year and a half I came to terms with the fact that it wasn't just a crush, I actually was interested in pursuing a relationship with Olivia. One the flipside of that I was 16 and still in high school, not to mention over 8,000 miles away and in no way ready for a relationship, but that didn't change how I felt. Now it would just be a matter of if and when. Liv Almost a year and a half later, the Caolas were a month away from leaving India. Alec and I had kept in touch, but from the time I met him, I had never seen him as more than a friend. Although when a picture popped up on his story and he didn't look half as little as he had before, I started to rethink where my feelings actually were. I started texting more than before, yet still very confused and unsure of where this would lead. That day the Caolas landed in Philly, I was nervously anticipating their arrival, especially Alec's. With their big arrival, we probably talked for about five minutes, but that confirmed the feelings that were rapidly growing. Over the next few weeks of July, we hung out multiple times, and the more I did, the more I grew suspicious that he was feeling the same way. He went out of his way to make conversation, was more than willing to spend time together, and was very attentive to me. I was struggling with how to approach the situation and put myself out there without being too forward. If it were any other guy I would just be happy to let him approach me, but because of our long years of knowing each other I knew that I had friend zoned him pretty hard in the past, so I was debating whether or not I should make that first move. And when I watched the movie A Quiet Place, based on his recommendation, he asked me if I would like to go see the second movie in theatres with him. My mind immediately went to...is he asking me on a date? I asked my mom for advice, and she recommended asked him if it would just be the two of us. He responded that it would probably be with my mom or my aunt. Cue even more confusion! A day or two later (everything happened SO fast), Alec reached out to my mom asking what she thought of the movie and was excited about us getting to see the second one. My mom was very direct and told him that my dad might have some concerns as seeing it as more of a date still. I remember getting screenshot after screenshot of these texts while I was working, in which Alec and my mom went back and forth and it was pretty much revealed how I felt and that he was interested in me. A few days later, I was going on a trip to see a dear friend in Colorado for a week's vacation, so at this point I knew the ball was in Alec's court. Alec During the week while Liv was in Colorado, I began to take the initiative. I spent the next four days volunteering at a soccer camp, and almost every day afterwards , I called Mrs G for about an hour. As the day was approaching for her to get back, I knew I wanted to ask her to be my girlfriend. July 23rd, I got my driver's license, and that afternoon I had one of the most monumental conversations of my life. After the 45 minutes talk to with Mr G, I officially had his approval. Alec and Liv Sunday morning, the nerves were high for both of us. We saw each other at church and acted as though everything was normal, although we knew that afternoon was going to be lifechanging. We went out just the two of us for the first time to go to a nearby park and talk, and right as we pulled out of the driveway, we both uttered similar words of "so...the elephant in the room". A few hours later we were past the awkwardness, and Alec officially asked me to be his girlfriend.

Ocean City, New Jersey, at sunrise. Watching the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean was a bucket list item for Liv, but for Alec, it was the date he had been planning on for the past month. Alec asked me to dance as the sun started to come up glimmering over the water, and a few moments later he was down on one knee asking me to marry him. In my shock he had to ask twice before I said yes! The morning was complete with a quick dip in the ocean and then the Bashful Banana for breakfast on the boardwalk.