Rachel and Ryan first met in the fall semester of 2017, when Rachel's friend Griffin sparked a conversation on her behalf through Tinder. Once Rachel saw how funny and charming Ryan was, she decided to take over the conversation herself. Ryan had read that sushi dates were statistically more likely to lead to a second date, so he asked Rachel out for a Monday night dinner. Rachel told him she loved sushi and happily agreed - even though she had never actually had it before. Their second and third date followed on Tuesday and Wednesday. Not long after, Rachel left school to return home for a while. By December, Ryan reached out (he just couldn't stay away) and by January they began a semi-long distance relationship. Rachel attended school closer to home until the following year, and Ryan would drive to Poughkeepsie just to bring her flowers. The next fall she returned to Albany, with her student housing just two blocks away from Ryan's apartment. They were finally able to explore the city together. From there their love grew and grew. The next year Rachel adopted JJ - the best cat to ever live- and they became a family. Rachel, Ryan, and JJ decided to move in together, and the rest is history. Four apartments, seven years, and millions of memories later, Ryan finally proposed.