In an age where love stories often begin with a swipe right, ours started with a match on Bumble in March of 2020. We had planned what should have been a simple first date over coffee - little did we know that fate, and a global pandemic, had other plans in store for us. Just as we were about to meet in person, the world suddenly pressed pause. With lockdown in effect, Ashley found herself unexpectedly in Michigan for several months, hundreds of miles away from our planned first date. What could have been the end of our story before it began instead turned into something beautifully unexpected. Over the next three months of uncertainty, we found comfort in daily texts, phone calls, and FaceTime dates. We got to know each other in a way that might have never happened over a quick coffee. Distance, rather than becoming a barrier, became the building block of our deeper connection. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of virtual dating, we met in person at a local brewery for our long-awaited first date, trading in our originally planned coffee for craft beers and conversations that flowed as easily in person as they had through our screens. We knew over our first hazy IPA that this was something special. The unexpected challenge of a global pandemic didn't stop our love story; instead, it helped write it in a way we never could have imagined. Our journey proves that sometimes, the best love stories don't go according to plan - they exceed all expectations.