It’s October 2020, our currency is toilet paper, your ears hurt from wearing facemasks, and you need an “essential employee” letter to drive in Massachusetts. The only way to meet someone new is online—so that’s what we did. Emily found Ben’s profile on Hinge and liked a photo of him wearing a Patriots crew sweatshirt and a flat-brim hat on a deck in front of the ocean (you all know the one we are talking about). Ben then sent her one of the best pickup lines in the book: “Hey! How are you?” We chatted on the app for a few days when Ben asked for her Snapchat and number. Since Emily is a fan of crime shows, she did not give him either. Instead, she asked Ben out on a dinner date. Ben accidentally set up the date for a Mexican restaurant in Merrimack, NH, when he meant to set it up in Nashua, NH—this mix-up caused Ben to be late. Emily let his tardiness slide because he was cute, and his story made sense. Ben's only “red flag” was that he hatfished her, which she did not mind because he looks great bald. At the beginning of the date, we were both on edge and unsure of each other. The waitstaff came over to get our order. However, Ben did not order a drink, so Emily did not order a drink… In hindsight, alcohol could have calmed the first date jitters, but we persevered a game of 21 questions sober. At one point, Emily made a snippy joke asking if we were on an interview—it helped break the ice. Next thing you know, we were talking and laughing about everything and nothing at all, and time passed in the blink of an eye. We have never experienced anything like it before. When the check for the food came, Emily pulled her classic first date “test.” She offered to split the bill with Ben and was fully prepared never to see him again if he took her up on it. Ben looked her in the eyes and said, “You think you would go out with me again if I let you pay?” He did not even look at the bill—he just put his card down and paid. She was shocked. He called her out at her own game. We left the restaurant together, and he walked her to her car. That night, we knew we met someone special. Emily gave him her number the next day; the rest is history.

We knew we were each other’s life partners early in our relationship. At the end of 2022, we went to a jeweler with the full intention of looking at rings. Naturally, Ben bought the ring that day, and from that moment on, he was in a constant state of excitement. In fact, he would regularly forget that Emily was in earshot of some of the in-depth conversations he was having with people about his plans for the proposal. After the New Year, Emily’s friend, Deena, asked her to attend one of her work events on February 8th. However, Deena could not answer basic questions about the event, like when it started, where it was, or what to wear. That interaction made Emily suspicious of the event from the get-go. On February 8th, Emily met at Deena’s office before her “work event.” To Emily’s surprise, Deena was the only employee there. Regardless, they shared a glass of wine before catching a cab to Brooklyn. On the ride over, Deena mentioned that she wanted to go to the Pier to take a photo of the NYC skyline for her Instagram. After taking the photo, Ben appeared out of nowhere. He professed his love to Emily with a ring in his hand and asked for her hand in marriage. Emily was filled with so much emotion that she literally could not speak. To this day, she has no recollection of Ben’s heartfelt words. She embraced Ben and found the word that she was looking for—"yes."