We didn’t know the other person even existed until the 22-23 school year. That year he was the new head custodian that everyone loved to talk to and joke with, kids included, and I was a 2nd year middle school teacher experiencing my 1st year full time in the classroom. We rarely said anything to each other the entire school, I don’t even know his last name and by the end of the school year I assumed because of his beard he was like 30. Flash forward to 23-24 school year. We’re both back and he seems to be talking more to people I talk to so it pushed us to at least chat briefly. I was a tiny bit more confident as a 3rd year ELA teacher and tried to get to know more of the staff, which included him. I made the mistake by telling a coworker at the time I thought he was kinda cute but didn’t want to date someone older than my older brother….she then told me “girl he’s 23.” So I was shocked realizing I was the older one. By October-November of 2023, there was this student, she’s hilarious, loud, kind, and a stranger to me; that didn’t stop her from marching up to me and asking for a referral so she could have an after school detention because she didn’t want to go home. I didn’t do that, but by the end of the next week she had introduced Andy to me as her “older brother” and that started it all. He would come to me for advice on certain things they had talked about and he actually started to tell me more about his life and vice versa. By the end of the 1st semester, I considered him one of my closest friends. By the beginning of February 2024, my best friend and my hall buddy coworker, both had to deal with me going back and forth trying to decide if I liked Andy or if I was content with being great friends. We were talking until after 5pm in my classroom or in the parking lot everyday. Still no numbers had been exchanged and neither of us had said anything about liking or not liking one another. March 1st, 2024, I decided to grow a pair, kind of. He left before I got out of a meeting and I was bummed so I did the only logical thing to do and emailed him my phone number! It worked because he texted me, and I quote, “Yo it’s your boy Andy.” 😂😅 We briefly talked and I fell asleep. Woke up Saturday to a text from him asking if I wanted to go on a road trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan to the University of Michigan. I called my best friend freaking out and she was supportive for me going but also wanting his number and all the updates because I HAVE NEVER HUNG OUT WITH HIM OUTSIDE OF WORK. He could be a serial killer. We met in the school parking lot where we worked and off we went. It was a great trip but it wasn’t really a date, we didn’t talk about us until the drive home and it consisted of me finally admitting I had feelings for him and him saying he did but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to pursue it because of how close of friends we were. So if you know me, I was super calm and chill for the next week not at all doom spiraling that I’m getting friend-zoned. lol He invited himself over to my apartment to “fix my washer” which was actually broken. Then eat pizza and watch one of the a trillion movies he hasn’t seen. That was March 8, 2024. By 3:30am on the 9th, give or take a few minutes, we shared our first kiss and one year later on March 9, 2025 he asked me to marry him. Of course I said, yes! I love our story so sorry not sorry for how long this is 🥰❤️