They met for the first time on October 6, 2018. But that's not quite where their story begins. Sydnee had just moved to Bushwick and found her first apartment after a few weeks of couch-surfing with friends and staying in various Airbnbs. Maia had also just moved to Bushwick to live with her first (and last) Craigslist roommate. The roommate was so terrible that Maia lasted only two months there, but luckily, that was enough time for Maia and Sydnee to be close enough to match on a dating app. After they matched, Sydnee was brave and sent the first message. She asked her go-to question: "When you order tacos, do you go for hard shells or soft?" Maia, being the text-averse person she is, took a few days to respond. She might have even forgotten to respond at all, but New York had other plans. That weekend, Maia went to a dance party in her neighborhood with a friend. While there, she saw a cool, confident, dancing machine. Could it be the same girl who had asked her about tacos? She surreptitiously opened her app and double-checked. It was! Now, you're probably thinking this dance party was on October 6 and that this was the magical night they finally met... but you'd be wrong. Maia thought Sydnee looked way too cool for her, so she didn't introduce herself right away. Instead, she finally responded on the app. Sydnee, unaware of how close she had come to her destiny, asked Maia out for drinks the next Friday. And they both went on about their regular lives, until... A few days before their first date, Maia boarded a bus on her way to see a friend. But wait... could it be? New York was at it again! There was Sydnee, sitting on the bus, listening to music. And you couldn’t be blamed for thinking this was October 6 and that they were finally about to meet for the first time. But again, you'd be wrong. Maia was so flustered by seeing Sydnee before their date that she avoided eye contact and tried not to be seen. Little did she know, Sydnee also saw Maia and sent her a text to confirm it really was her. The second Maia received the text, two things happened. Sydnee knew it was Maia because she saw her reach for her phone, and Maia pressed the Stop Request button and got off the bus! They finally did meet that Friday at Left Hand Path on Wycoff Avenue. The date was just okay. But the next date was magical. The third date, however, was the worst. They ultimately decided they weren’t a good fit. But New York intervened once more. Three months later, the night before Sydnee was about to leave for Park City to see her sister’s movie premiere (shout out to Selah and the Spades!), Maia and Sydnee were thrown together one last time at yet another dance party. Maia went up to Sydnee to say hello. The magic of date two was palpable. They caught up for a few moments and made plans to see each other when Sydnee got back. This time, the rest was history!