It all started in June 2021 on Hinge, where I first met Thomas, but to me, he was always just "Gray." He was living in Lee, Massachusetts, working in Albany, and I lived in Troy, NY. From the first moments, we hit it off, bantering back and forth with ease. Our first date was at Peck’s Arcade in downtown Troy, and as luck would have it, HBO was filming The Gilded Age nearby. We wandered through the streets, admiring the set as our conversation flowed effortlessly. That day, I asked Gray to recommend a book to me—he loves reading—and he suggested The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. I devoured it and was hooked, both on the book and on him. After a few more dates, life got busy. I had a whirlwind of trips planned for the summer, and our schedules didn’t quite match up. Toward the end of the summer, Gray sent me a message, calling me "buddy," thinking I wasn’t interested. I was quick to clear that up—I was definitely into him! Life had just been busy. Not long after, Gray came over to my house, we ordered dinner, and I cleaned (yes, cleaned while he was there!). From that point on, we saw each other every week. In December of that year, while I was on a trip to New Orleans, Gray FaceTimed me and asked me to officially be his girlfriend. From there, things grew. We went on hikes, shared countless books, and made memories together. In the fall of 2022, Gray moved in with me in downtown Troy, and by winter, we were getting our first Christmas tree and becoming pros at darts. In January 2023, we began house hunting, looking at countless homes until we found the one. In October 2023, we closed on our first home together, selling our individual homes and starting a new chapter. In February of that year, during a trip to Portland, Gray proposed. It was perfect, just like us. Now, we look forward to our next adventure—our wedding in January 2025—