Insert your typical boy-falls-in-love-with-girl love story. Just kidding, that's not our story at all. To this day, I have no idea how I came across Sam on Instagram. I don’t know if it was divine intervention, dumb luck or pure coincidence, but nevertheless, I did. I slid into Sam’s DMs in April of 2016, but unfortunately that’s not really where our story started. It started three years later in April of 2019.
I "re-met" Sam on a dating app. After some playful banter back-and-forth about time that had passed and missed chances, I mustered up the courage to ask her out. I asked if she had any thoughts on where we could go on our date, and she informed me that I had three years to plan this date, so it was all on me. I was ecstatic! I told my mom all about this girl I was going out with and even started showing my sister photos… which apparently made me creepy. I had never been so interested in someone before, and it's safe to say I was a little too excited...especially for the sub-par date I had planned. “How about late night appetizers and drinks after work?” Way to go, Brett. So romantic!
I’ll never forget picking Sam up that evening. So-freaking-cute. She came down the stairs eating a clementine (popularly known as 'cuties') with a huge smile on her face. “Would you like a piece of my cutie?” I started to melt. This girl was something else. So comfortable in her own skin and so, so beautiful. It took everything I had to not let my jaw hit the ground. Our date went so well. I was incredibly nervous trying to play it cool, and she was starving to death because I failed to plan a proper dinner date (I worked until 8 that evening, hence the rushed date. But I just had to meet this girl).
I honestly don’t remember much about our conversation that night (sorry, Sam), I was totally mesmerized by her, though. I loved just listening to her talk and hearing all about her life. Yes, I realize I still sound a little creepy and off-putting, but it must have not been as bad as I thought because I GOT A KISS when I dropped her back off at home. I received confirmation that she was also interested when I was invited to meet Oliver. Despite starving her to death and awkwardly staring at her all night long, I must have done something right after all.
My favorite part of entire night was actually my drive home. Don't get me wrong, I didn’t want to leave. I really wanted to stay up all night and learn more about this girl that God re-introduced into my life. But the reason my drive home was my favorite part, was because that is when I already realized my world would never seem as bright again if Sam wasn’t in it. We were almost inseparable after that first night. God blessed me with the most incredible best friend and partner to walk through life with.
So, no. This isn’t your typical ‘boy meets girl’ story. More like 'boy meets girl at the wrong time, and then meets girl again years later and falls absolutely flat on his face for her.' God brought us together in His perfect timing and I’m so thankful for that. I know that I haven’t done anything great enough in this life to be deserving of Sam, but I will never stop thanking God and growing more and more in love with her.
I discovered a flirty emoji sitting in my DMs one night in April of 2016. Total Instagram eyeroll moment, but evidently Brett, while not overly creative in his advances, was just cute enough for me to take the bait. Brett and I messaged back-and-forth for a few days, made plans to meet for dinner, and then we...never met. I poke fun at Brett when someone asks to hear "our story" and make it known that it was his fault we never met for dinner, but if I'm being honest, and if I know me (I do), I'm confident I was the one who blew him off. Nobody tell him I admitted it after all this time.
We both went on to pursue different lives, all while keeping up with each other on social media and living within a mile of each other for many years. I got to know a topical version of his life, family, and friends, and his obsession for fast cars, fitness and watches, but I never anticipated that he would become the most important person in my story.
Brett and I crossed paths at a restaurant in 2018. We made eye contact, quickly averted, pretended we knew nothing of the other person and admitted later that we both internally questioned how much happier our lives would have been had we been the pair sitting together that evening. (Let it be known that Brett suggested to take me to the same restaurant on our first date, which I was quick to call him out for on the car ride over. After some teasing about his - again - lack in creativity, we decided it was time that we both deserved to make a happy memory there.)
We both agree now that it was necessary for us each to go through the hardest seasons in our lives in order to become the people we are now, but both also agree that those few years totally sucked, and if we could have them back to spend them together, we wouldn't hesitate.
We reconnected again in April 2019, exactly 3 years after we connected the first time. He asked what I'd like to do for a first date, but I reminded him that he had three years to plan it and I would leave it up to him. I If you know Brett well, you know he is not patient and is subject to impulse. That said, he asked to see me that same night, but I told him I was too busy to make it work. I wasn't, but rather just a little thrown off by his tenacity and excitement to see me. I asked to meet up with him a few days later...and somehow we compromised and decided to meet the very next day. I was brimming with hesitation and weighing the thought that I should cancel on this very eager guy for a second time. For reference, he openly let me know that he told his sister ALLLLL about me (we hadn't even met yet) and I was absolutely weirded out. Who admits that to a new dating prospect? Pretty sure it completely weirded Jess out too.
The night of our date, boujee Brett rolled up to pick me up in his Porsche Macan, and I came hopping down the stairs eating a cutie. He graciously allowed me to take the cutie into the car, so I decided he wasn't too high maintenance after all.
I recall sitting across from Brett feeling completely at ease and at home at dinner. I had never experienced such easy and uplifting conversation with anyone, nor had I felt so much peace on a first date. On the drive home, I think we were both looking for an excuse to keep the night from ending. I played on his weakness for cute animals (I have one of those), asked if he wanted to meet Ollie dog, got the stamp of approval from the fluff, and we went on six more dates that week. I'm so thankful I didn't cancel the (second) first one.