In the winter of 2018, it was an unremarkable Tuesday night at a crowded bar (Might as Well Bar, to be exact) — the kind of night you go out with friends more out of habit than hope, since it was $1 well drinks on that particular night. I had found a spot at the bar when a man I didn’t know came and sat next to me. I know what you're thinking, and no, it wasn't Shane (not yet at least). No offense to that guy, wherever you are now, but this exchange was incredibly awkward and I was trying to strategize how to get out of it. About thirty seconds into this strange encounter I hear — “Hey, babe.” I turned to see a guy I’d never met before, surprisingly tall and smiling casually. While gently placing his hand on my shoulder and now directed toward the stranger beside me, he continues — “Hey man, My name is Shane! I'm her boyfriend.” That was it. We have been together and in love ever since (just kidding). We quickly became friends, and it turned out that one of my friends was dating one of his, which worked out great. We continued seeing each other on the weekends when we went out with our friends and we had a few dates sprinkled in here and there, but nothing ever super serious. Fast-forward through that next semester, I was graduating in the spring and moving back to Raleigh. We agreed that "long-distance," was just not in the cards for us, but we would continue to be friends. Nevertheless, over the years and countless weekend trips to see my college girlfriends, we would always find ourselves in the corner of the bar or whatever party we were at, catching up and reminiscing on what never was. I think we both always believed we had some sort of unfinished business. In January of 2024, during another one of those weekend trips, we found ourselves in the same corner of a party "re-connecting," as one of his friends had said to us. We quickly decided to address the unfinished business looming over us, and give it a real shot. It didn't take long for all the pieces to fall into place, and I am forever thankful for that "invisible string" that kept us connected all of those years. Turns out, all it takes is perfect timing and a well-placed “Hey, babe” to meet your soulmate, and seven years to finally realize it.