HINGED BEFORE HITCHED A winter’s day, 2/24/24---too cold to stroll, but a perfect day for Talia to scroll through Hinge in her Upper East Side apartment. Swipe, no, no –DEFINITELY NOT. Then—wait, go back. “Justin.” Hmm… maybe. They matched, they texted, they went on with their lives. FIRST COMES COFFEE For single-in-the-city Talia, Sunday mornings began in sweats, sipping a latte at her neighborhood coffee shop. She was switching between the news of the day and Etsy for inspiration, when an unexpected text came through. It was the Hinge guy now known simply as “Justin”. “Hi. What are you doing this morning? Want to meet for coffee?” “Well, I’m already having coffee,” Talia replied. “You can join me, but I’m just letting you know—I’m in sweatpants and barely presentable.” “I can make myself look unpresentable too,” Justin shot back. “I won’t even put on my makeup.” In a New York minute, Justin was on the subway heading uptown. HE SHOWED UP AS HE WAS When Talia’s future husband walked into the coffee shop, a latte turned into a lot of conversation and a two-hour walk in Central Park. After the usual first-date questions, Justin shared a fun fact: he owned many pairs of pristine white sneakers, neatly lined up in rows. Talia countered with her own footwear passion—playful, whimsical shoes and sneakers, including a pair straight from the Minnie Mouse playbook. Talia sensed their differences might one day cause them to spar if it ever worked out, but she agreed to another date. DANCE WITH ME The second date was at a bar with live music. As women tend to do, Talia headed straight for the restroom upon arrival. When she came out, Justin held out his hand and said: “Dance with me.” No one else was dancing, but White Sneaker Man surprised her. Right on the second date-dance floor, they shared their first kiss. APPETIZER OFFERINGS Date three was dinner at Beauty & Essex. Justin charmed Talia—and the couple at the next table, who were also on their third date—sparking chatty banter throughout the meal. Talia didn’t yet know this was his signature move: over-ordering food and sharing it with strangers. STIRRING THINGS UP Soon friends and family started asking about the sweatpants/no makeup guy. They liked the creativity of date four: a cooking class. WEST SIDE WHAT? For date five, Talia invited Justin to her place and cooked up her signature dish: Spicy Rigatoni. After dinner she attempted to watch “West Side Story” with Justin. “Are we really gonna finish the movie?” he asked. Talia’s attempt at a romantic film flopped, but their own love story was just beginning. AFTER TWO MONTHS, TIME TO MEET Two sets of parents. Two grandmoms. Two grandpops. Two siblings apiece. Two boatloads of extended family. Passover was coming. Talia had first-night seder plans in Boston with her family, but Justin insisted she return by Acela train to join him for night two with his family. The next morning, he met her with flowers and a card. He said that if he was bringing a girl home, he had to introduce her to his grandmom as his girlfriend. “Will you be my girlfriend?” asked the card. YES was checked. NO was crossed out. What was a girl to do? That was Talia’s first YES. The second YES came one year, two months, and 14 days later, when Justin proposed. THEN COMES MARRIAGE YES—you can fall in love in sweatpants over coffee. NO, it doesn’t matter if you have makeup on. Justin didn’t want to wait to meet Talia. Talia didn’t want to wait to meet Justin. From the very start, the real them was out there with the French Roast. Little did they know, they were just sips away from forever.