It's December 2021. Young Alex is swiping away on Hinge and sees this beautiful girl in a green dress with braids named Robbie. Swipe right. Much to his surprise, it's a match! They talk about how she refuses to date greek men (06!) and how she actually lives in Burlington, NC even though her location is set to Charlotte. If you're keeping score that's about an hour and a half drive. The conversation flows smoothly for days and then suddenly...*silence* Alex thinks he's been ghosted, but he's resilient. He follows Robbie on Instagram only to find out she has a private account. Surprise no. 2. She accepts! What happens next is a series of messages and laughs and surprisingly easy conversation that brings them to late summer 2022. Robbie tells Alex she'll be in Charlotte for an alumni event at *dramatic pause* Bank of America Stadium. It's important to note here that Alex has told Robbie throughout the course of their talking phase to "let me know when you're in the city so you can show me around." Robbie will tell you he never asked her out but when she builds the website she can write her version of this story. Lol. Alex shoots practice that day and covers an event after work so he hesitates about meeting this girl he's been talking to for months all sweaty and in practice clothes. Ultimately he works up the nerve to meet her tour group on their last stop, the end zone in front of the north tunnel of the field. There's a hug (Robbie says he gave her a church hug) and smiles and laughs and before they know it, the event is over. It's late so Alex offers to drive her back to her car, despite the fact that she's closer to her car than she would be by the time they walk to his car (and they said the kid didn't have game). He opens her door and they ride back to her car. Alex is fighting nerves the entire time so it's not exactly clear how or when numbers exchanged but it finally happened. Weeks of texts and phone calls go by and slowly but surely, they're falling for each other. Alex finds himself staying in his hotel room the night before road games with his feet kicked up on the wall sharing R&B playlists. Robbie catches herself texting him updates when she takes off and lands at the airport. They like each other. So much so that Robbie tells Alex she loves him at the end of their first date. We don't have time to get into that story right now. He's a bit surprised, but his gut tells him she just might be on to something. Homecoming season rolls around and this is when Robbie admits to herself, something is different. Alex goes to Columbia for homecoming and while he is normally very communicative, the *cough* beverages *cough* are causing texts to reply a bit slower. Robbie calls her friends Kira and Bre, perplexed as to why she misses this man. As good friends do, they tell her the honest truth. "You like him!" "No I don't!" (She did. lol). December 16, 2022 arrives and Alex pulls Robbie for a chat. He tells her how much he's enjoyed his time in the Villa and he knows their connection is serious. He wants to be closed off! Robbie agrees and they're officially boyfriend and girlfriend. Robbie moves to Charlotte a few months later and the two fall in love with each other and the city they've grown to call home. By Christmas 2024 Alex knows she's the one. On Good Friday, April 18, 2025 Robbie said "yes" to Alex in the lobby of the Mint Museum in Uptown Charlotte and on July 10, 2026 the two will become the latest success story for the dating app, meant to be deleted.

1) Asking me to show you around the city IS NOT the same thing as asking me on a date! 2) Alex claims he wasn't sure where numbers were exchanged. That is false. Robbie gave Alex HER number so that HE could let her know when practice was over, and IF he was coming to see her. 3) Riding in a car with a man at work? Or fight off the villains of Charlotte walking back to a car by herself? You choose! 4) "Love you, bye!" is how women of my generation say "see you later!" I did not tell that man I loved him on our first date. 5) Regardless of how we both remember our story, the important part is we made it here together. Kira and Bre were right, I did like him. 6) Lastly, I did not ghost him!