Imagine two sophomores in high school, barely teenagers, still unsure of the world (with an unknowing pandemic on the way). This was before Mikey had a goatee or a collection of cars from the 90's, and before Rose had an obsession with the gym, or hair past her ears. Rose had spent her entire freshman year, at a high school an hour away from her home town, for the academy of vocal and performing arts. She struggled with the distance and loneliness of this adventure, and eventually returned home to continue her sophomore year at her local high school. Michael had moved to the small town of Long Valley several years prior, and often spent his time working on his parents Firebird, tinkering with rusty go-carts, and listening to death metal. In a true high school romance fashion, these youngsters were in for a ride. Within the time that young Michael had given a shivering Rose his jacket on a cold January morning, in a classroom derived of heat, the two had already started falling head over heels (or fuzzy socks for that matter). These two quickly clicked, even though all they had in common was their love for music and deep understanding for life, they didn't need much more due to their enjoyment with just having the other's company. Many nights were spent snuggled up with hot chocolate, frequent coffee dates, and time in Mikey's old grain mill, getting his hands greasy as he fought the rust on old engines. Unbeknownst to the graduating class of 2022, all those new friendships, blooming relationships, hallway study groups, and upcoming school dances were about to be shut down for two weeks. Those two weeks quickly turned into two years of COVID. While many have seen the pandemic to be a bad thing, and it undeniably had it's moments, for this relationship, it only brought them closer together. At the end of the pandemic, and all the way through senior year, they both saved up, worked hard, and eventually moved to Austin Texas after graduation. Rose proposed to Mikey at the highest point in Austin on November 14th of 2022 during their trip to look for apartments. While the proposal was a surprise, the wanting to get married wasn't a surprise for either of them as it had seemed to be in the cards all along.