January 2024. Patrick walked into my job with his friends exactly 10 minutes before happy hour ended — which, if you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, you know is basically a declaration of war. I was already mentally preparing myself to be rushed. And rushed I was. They kept asking for water. Over and over again. So instead of making 17 trips back and forth like cardio was part of my shift, I brought out a whole pitcher. Efficient? Yes. Slightly petty? Also yes. But somewhere between refilling glasses and pretending I wasn’t mildly annoyed, something shifted. As they were wrapping up, his friend Daniel asked where I was from. I told them Nigeria. He smiled and said that he and Patrick were Congolese. Suddenly, this wasn’t just another table before closing — it felt different. Familiar. Intentional. And then I really noticed Patrick. His smile. The kind that makes you pause mid-thought. The kind that makes you forget you were just irritated five minutes ago. When they got up to leave, Patrick started gathering his things… then turned back and asked for my number. Bold. Calm. Confident. That same night, he texted me. Not a “what you doing?” text. Not a “wyd?” at 11:47 PM. He planned a date. For that weekend. And from that moment on, it was never confusing. By April 27th, 2024, he made it official and asked me to be his girlfriend. (Yes, he did it properly. Yes, I said yes immediately.) And on December 27th, 2025, the man who once almost stressed me out over happy hour asked me to spend forever with him. Plot twist: the table I didn’t want to serve turned out to be the greatest blessing God could have sent me. From water pitchers and happy hour rushes to girlfriend on April 27th to fiancé on December 27th Patrick walked in as a customer… and walked out as my forever 🤍