They say 80% of people meet the person they eventually marry before they turn 18. Admittedly, before 2019, neither one of us would have subscribed to that theory. It was in February of 2019 that we went on our first date, at the ages of 23 and 22. However, that meeting was far from the first time we had spend considerable time together. Our paths first crossed as sophomores in high school, as our naive 16-year-old selves chased the prospect of young love with other people. But here's the twist: Monica was close friends with my (Steve's) girlfriend at the time, and I (Steve) had known Monica's boyfriend at the time from a young age. And so naturally, multiple double dates ensued, and we both got to passively and innocently observe one another in separate respective relationships. As high school romances often do, those relationships fizzled out, and the only proof that existed of our paths having crossed was a collection of (now pretty embarrassing) Facebook photos; feel free to feast your eyes if you have the motivation to scroll through the old pictures on our profiles! Fast forward to 2019, and I (Steve) came across Monica's profile on a dating app. Having known her from a past life, I was inclined to match with her just to say hello and ask how she was doing. Through succeeding conversations we came to the conclusion that we might actually still enjoy each other's company. So, we had our first date on February 14th, 2019 at a Maggie McFly's. Monica wore a white top and her hair back, with her nose ring in. We sat at one of the largest tables in the restaurant (a booth that was certainly built to fit 8 people), but inched closer to each other throughout the night regardless. I ordered the Ahi Tuna steak and it was fine (about a 7/10), and spent the night staring at, talking to, and laughing with the girl that I would eventually ask to marry me. And even though there was no way to know for sure in the moment, I couldn't help but feel like I was on my last first date; I couldn't help but feel like I was having dinner with the eventual love of my life. The rest is history!