As a firefighter/paramedic, I’m in and out of the ER all the time. One day I saw a new nurse, Rebekah, and thought she is really cute. I didn't want to be “that guy” and just hit on her at the hospital, so I started asking around the ER to see if she had a boyfriend. Since she was new and a private person, nobody really knew if she had a boyfriend or not. Every time I’d see her after that, I would just say hi to her using her name, and she’d be standing there wondering how the heck I even knew who she was. One day, I was in the medical stockroom with my friend Kate. Rebekah walked in, did her thing, and walked out. As soon as she was gone, I turned to Kate, grabbed her by the shoulders, shook her, and said, “Oh my gosh, she’s so cute.” Little did I know, there was a fourth person in that stockroom who heard the whole thing. As soon as Kate and I left, they went right to Rebekah and told her what happened. I didn't find that out until much later. Kate told me I should just ask her out, but I still declined because I thought it was inappropriate since we basically worked together. Eventually, I got the courage to slide into her DMs on Instagram. Then... nothing. She took two weeks to message me back. In the meantime, I’d still see her at the hospital and just say hi like normal, assuming she wasn't interested and respecting that. Finally, she messaged me back saying she just doesn't look at her DMs often. We talked for a few days and then, just so everyone knows, she asked for my number! For our first date, I suggested Bowl-Hi Lanes in Huntley. I didn’t do my research though, and when we met there, we found out they had bowling leagues going on. No open lanes. Thinking fast, I suggested another spot about 15 minutes away. Since she’d already driven a long way, I told her she could just park at my house (which was only a minute away) and we’d drive together so she didn't have to drive even more. She was a little apprehensive at first, thinking I had something else in mind, but I was honestly just trying to be nice. I’m competitive, so I definitely didn't let her win, but we had a great time, so I thought, and sat and talked for a while after we were done. After I dropped her off at her car back at my house, she left pretty promptly. Then, the next day she texted me: “I think we should just be friends.” Obviously, that "friends" phase didn't last. Fast forward to our one-year anniversary hiking trip in Washington State. We went on a hike to Lake Serene and Bridal Veil Falls in Index, and on top of that mountain, I asked her to marry me. We’ve come a long way from the ER stockroom, and we can’t wait to celebrate the big day with all of you!