Dylan and I met while I was in a relationship with someone else, in February 2023. We were in a group of friends at my favorite VFW. Dylan was drunk and I was convincing him with both hands on his shoulders and staring into his eyes- reasoning with him about why he needed to get water on the way home so he wouldn’t be hung over at work the next day. Dylan was falling in love, and I was giggly because this wobbly smiley guy was just staring at me like I was preaching to him (but it was about water and the importance of hydration). I remember feeling him hanging on every word, but I thought he was just drunk. About a year later, Dylan moved into my neighborhood. He got a job working for the company that runs the community I live in- doing plumbing, maintenance, etc. We were both single and it was only a matter of time before we ran into each other again. It happened at the same bar where he fell in love, but now it was June of 2025. We exchanged numbers. He mowed my lawn for $20 once. We started hanging out on my porch occasionally- sometimes with his roommate, sometimes not. He asked for a date and I declined it. Then he got a new phone, and we lost contact for a few months. But it was only a matter of time before I asked his coworker, an unsuspecting guy driving by on a golfcart, for his new number. After that, I didn’t ask about my yard anymore. We continued to drink on the porch, supervised by his roommate most of the time. Dylan continued to ask for a date. I kept saying no. He was in the same group as the original boyfriend from this story. (And he smoked cigarettes!) I didn’t want the drama. He kept insisting on a date. I just wanted to keep him as a good friend. Then one night he was cold and we stood closer to each other. I hadn’t looked into his eyes that closely since the first night we met. I tried to warm him up by rubbing his arms for him. It felt familiar, radiated with warmth, and we smiled at each other. Within a week I said yes to a date and said yes to a relationship immediately after. A month later, he was on one knee on my bedroom floor. He had already asked Aeson for permission. Of course, I said yes.