Nicole: I remember my first shift at Stonefire—my very first job. I was working with my best friend, Alex, who told me I had a “secret admirer” somewhere in the restaurant. When the shift ended, the staff gathered in the back to eat and chat. That’s when he walked in—wearing beat-up Converse, ripped Levi’s, and a faded Grateful Dead shirt. My first thought was that a fifteen-year-old had just wandered in. But he started asking me question after question, curious about everything in my life. Later that night, Alex said someone was coming to pick me up for our usual hangout. My “secret admirer” would be arriving at my house soon. When the car pulled up, it was him—Alec. He insisted on walking to my door to introduce himself to my parents, while I hurried past him to get into the car, trying to get to the hangout. The ride was awkward, but also easy in a way. We laughed about the same things, shared the same taste in music, and felt that strange, instant connection. We stayed out until four in the morning, even though he had a final the next day. That was the night I knew I loved him—and that I always would. Alec: I had been working at Stonefire for a few years, when I met Nicole. I remember walking in for my shift like I had done a thousand times before, and immediately spotting her from across the restaurant. At that moment, time literally stood still. I tell people that and they just think I'm being dramatic, but it's completely true, a pause in reality to mark the significance of the moment. Since that first look I have loved Nicole with every part of myself and wanted nothing more than to be by her side and make her happy, and by grace I have ended up where I always knew I'd be.