Leah’s POV: Silas and I met at a game night and talked a lot, but at the time I didn’t think much of it. A few months later, at a friend’s birthday party, he mentioned where I had gone on spring break, and I remember thinking, Ok wait, he’s paying attention. That was the moment my interest was officially piqued. That semester, we got closer through group hangouts while never actually addressing the fact that we liked each other. Over the summer, Silas did City Project in Wake Forest, right by my house. Between pickleball, pool days with friends, and LOTS of overanalyzing, I kept wondering if he liked me. When I met his mom at the City Project celebration and she said, “I’ve heard so much about you!” to me and not to my two friends standing next to me, I started to believe I wasn’t making it all up. Later that summer, my friend and I went on a short vacation in Banner Elk. When it was time for her to head back to Charlotte and me to head back to Raleigh, I got one of my bad ocular migraines and couldn’t drive home. My mom told me to call Silas and ask if I could nap at his house, which felt incredibly embarrassing. He answered after one ring and came to pick me up. After my migraine finally subsided that evening, I stayed over and we talked until 5 a.m. We then texted for the rest of the summer. We officially started dating when we returned to UNC Chapel Hill and had a whole year together (minus a 3 day breakup). At the beginning of senior year, we broke up for real, and I was heartbroken. Months later, Silas reached out after much prayer and reflection and asked for another chance. I was cautious, but saying yes turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made. When Silas asked my parents for their blessing, I thought I had it figured out and assumed I’d know when he planned to propose. However, when he proposed in January, I was completely shocked, cried immediately, and said yes! I’m so excited to marry my best friend and move to Massachusetts while he’s in grad school! Silas’s POV: Leah and I met at a game night, where we immediately hit it off and talked most of the night. In the weeks that followed, I started noticing her everywhere, especially around ministry events and on campus, and I quickly developed a crush. From that point on, I took every opportunity possible to be around her, from game nights and study center hangs to pickleball and spikeball. I even convinced her to take Drama 115 with me in the fall, just in case I needed extra time to win her over. By the end of sophomore year, it felt like we had both made impressions on each other, but summer was coming and I was doing City Project. Luckily, it was only a few miles from her house, which meant pickleball, pool days, and some one on one time. I stayed in touch and hoped things would keep moving in the right direction. Then Leah and a friend took a trip to my hometown, where she ended up with a severe ocular migraine and needed a place to rest. I was pretty sure she liked me but I was still too nervous to say anything. After she stayed the night, we stayed up until 5 a.m. talking, and I finally admitted my feelings to one of her friends, who encouraged me to be more intentional. From that point on, I made my intentions clear. When we were both back in Chapel Hill, we spent almost every day together. Eventually, I asked her out, and two dates later, I asked her to be my girlfriend. Our relationship had its bumps, including two breakups and seasons of learning how to love one another well, but through it all I realized I wanted to spend my life with my best friend. When it came time to propose, Leah had no idea. She thought I was in Banner Elk, but really, I was in Raleigh creating a very detailed plan to surprise her with the help of her mom and sister. What she thought was a normal Saturday turned into the moment I got down on one knee and asked her to be my wife. She said yes, and the rest is history!