On August 14, 2017, Nate stood outside of the Communication Building at the University of Arizona with a handful of communication studies graduate students for a scheduled newcomer info session and welcome. All of the new grads were there, except for one. A few minutes after 9 a.m., a girl came running towards the comm building. "Who shows up late to an orientation day?" Nate thought. "Whatever--at least we can finally get this over with." In true spoiled Californian style, Nate told his cohort that he was going to go to the fancy Tucson shopping center to buy balsamic vinegar from Williams Sonoma and check out J. Crew. Only one of the new grads wanted to tag along, and it happened to be "the late girl". After the mandatory meetings finished, Nate and the late girl drove to La Encantada and, to his surprise, had a lot in common. They both liked to cook, were only children, and even liked J. Crew! With the conversation going well, Nate suggested grabbing something to drink on the way back to the late girl's apartment. At Prep & Pastry, the late girl ordered coffee and Nate ordered an Arnold Palmer. "Umm...what's that?" asked the late girl. "It's an Arnold Palmer!" Nate enthusiastically replied. With a clear look of confusion on her face, Nate explained what an Arnold Palmer was to the late girl, and the late girl laughed. They talked for over an hour over afternoon drinks and another 30 minutes or so in the car. After dropping the late girl off at her apartment, Nate thought, "You know what, she's kinda cool. At least I have a new friend here in Tucson." Little did he know, the late girl would become his partner in crime.

In case it wasn't clear: Yes, the late girl was Yejin. After a month and a half of studying and exploring Tucson together, Nate and Yejin decided to officially become a couple. Although Yejin was a bit uncertain and dissatisfied with Nate's recommendation to keep their relationship a secret, she respected his wish. Without having to worry about department gossip and drama, Nate and Yejin went from workplace friends (Sias & Cahill, 1998) to sweethearts engaged in affection exchange (Floyd, 2006). They kept their relationship a secret from their Arizona colleagues all the way up until Nate proposed to Yejin during the summer of 2021. Mission accomplished!