The summer of June 2019, Olly decided it was time to go on an adventure and leave behind his crossfitting, foody extrordinare life in London. A job opportunity arose in Bahrain, and he had nothing to lose. Just like Miriam, prior to heading there, they had no idea where this little country was or how much it would change their lives forever.
Miriam began her adventure to Bahrain in 2015 to find herself, to follow in her mother's footsteps, to go where no one Irish woman had been before! The apple didn't fall far from the tree.
Before meeting Olly, Mir spent 4 years of bliss in her little sandpit, partying, growing up, making friends for life from across the globe, and bringing back a new gang every christmas to introduce to the family.
Olly and Mir thought their lives were just perfect. They were young, free, healthy, and travelling the world. Something was missing. They just didn't know how much until the day they met.
On Olly's first night out with the English boys in Bahrain, they bumped into a 6ft 5 American man wearing raindbow colored American flag shorts. Donald took an immediate shine to Olly. They bonded over crossfit and Donald's hot roommate Miriam that Olly just had to meet. Miriam was in Dubai playing football that weekend, but fear not, fate would bring them together.
The following weekend, Mir and the gang headed to Mcgettigan's Irish pub, it brought all the young crowd for the drinks and music. Her and the girls (and gays) had a reserved table at the front of the bar. It was great to be back in the small island with her crew again.
Olly and his gang thought an Irish bar anywhere in the world was sure to be a good criac, and all roads led to McGett's. Olly was seated at the back with the boys and saw Mir walking in. He couldn't take his eyes off her. He was mesmerized by her beautiful skin tone and smile.
As the evening progressed, Miriam moved from table to table, greeting friends. Much to Olly’s delight, she made the rounds and finally stood within two feet of him. Olly's friends knew she lived with Donald and asked her where he was. The ball dropped, "This must be Donald's roommate?"Olly thought. Miriam wasn’t as shy as Olly, which was a huge relief for him.
“Hi how are ya?” she said, “where are you from?” she continued and pulled him from his hiding spot in the corner. "Oh, Olly, is my dog's name,soIdon'twantit" exclaimed Miriam. Instant connection! They exchanged numbers, and Miriam invited him back to the famous villa parties that Donald and her had created.
There was something about this Olly, his quiet confidence, his calmness..... he was different.
Miriam headed on back to the Villa, leaving Olly behind. She sat by the pool, listening to music with the American military boys, gripping onto her phone tightly, hoping she had made the same impression on the cute guy at the bar.
Suddenly, her phone rang. She squealed and tried to comopose herself. It was him letting her know he was close. She ran outside to grab him off the arabian streets.
They went outside for a chat, and the american boys wondered who this fella was that had taken the attention from them. They peered on in wonder.
Olly asked what Mir's plans were for the following weekend. She explained it was her mum's first year anniversary since she had passed away and that she was going back to Ireland. Mir waited for the akward pause and the not knowing what to say. But Olly did know what to say because Olly had been through the same. He assured Miriam that he was there to talk to if she needed. She immediately took him up on the offer and dragged him to her room. The Americans looked on in horror.
Molly began from that moment. They laughed, they cried, and they exchanged pictures of their beautiful mammies and their lives. They were fully open and vulnerable with each other, and it felt like destiny that these two were meant to meet. For a reason, for a season, they didn't know yet, but they both wanted more, more, more.
They shared a dance that night in the kitchen, Miriam spotted Donald watching from the pool area. He was winking , throwing her a thumbs up and cheering her on....... he, too, saw the connection, and his job may finally have been done.
Miriam jumped into Donald's bed the next morning like it was Christmas. Excitment filled the air. Donald warned her, "You know he is only here for 3 weeks?". "I don't care," she thought, "this is a once in a lifetime connection, and i'll enjoy it while it lasts."
Donald invited Olly over for breakfast, and he cracked open the champagne as Olly walked through the door.
Molly spent the day flirting at the pool, making future plans, building a stronger connection, and making sure they could spend as much time together before she had to leave for 2 weeks.
Olly spent every night at the villa watching Love Island with Mir. Initilly, he bluffed it and pretended he loved it, but soon they both were hooked. They loved love, and it was their summer in the villa falling in love, too.
Olly visited Italy as a child with his mam and later with friends on a skiing trip with the school. He returned as an adult on various road trips with friends to The Alps during summer time and was in awe of the culture, food, and sights. He spoke about it with Miriam fondly and always promised that he would take her. During Covid, they managed to slip away between lockdowns and got eight beautiful days on the Amalfi coast where their shared love of Italy blossomed.
While there, they travelled along the coast to Capri, Sorrento, Amalfi, and finally Ravello, where they had almost already decided they would get married from pictures alone, although not even engaged yet.
Ravello, situated at the top of the hill overlooking the breathtaking Amalfi coast, is where they knew they had to be married. Their paired delusions of grandeur saw them living out their dreams in Ravello. When you get there you will see why. Their love for the Italian wines and clam pasta sealed the deal as the trip ended on a high, making them want more.