From Michael:

Unexpectedly, I caught myself looking for excuses to see her again.

Her flat was conveniently located in the same building as some good friends (excuse one). Fourth of July celebrations (aka, my post birthday honoring) were being had on their shared rooftop (excuse two), and apparently, Chelsea had picked me up a birthday present while away in Kentucky which I absolutely had to collect (no excuse needed!).

While we were officially there to be with friends, we both kept sneaking away to find one another. I think we would call this our third date. Our, almost impromptu, yet pseudo-planned third date which showed how smitten we must have been to try and finagle a kiss in the midst of fireworks.

Yes, I was gifted booze.. Chelsea gave me a bottle of Woodford Reserve with an etching commemorating my 35th birthday. Even though I wasn’t there, I was clearly on her mind. And, I already knew she was on mine.

We filled the rest of July and well into August with light shows, live music, the theater, and learning which restaurants worked best with our respective dietary restrictions (I don’t do scallops and she hates the sea).

By the end of August, we were international! Mexico City provided us with more than we could ever explore in a weekend, but enough to know we did it exceptionally well together.

The weddings followed holidays, which followed more weddings, and more trips abroad. Together the months moved by quickly. We had spent so much of our time wrapped up in adventure planning It felt like we’d been together years, not months. When Chelsea told me about her own work opportunity abroad it all of a sudden felt a bit soon. She also asked if I would wait. But how could I not; what good would I be in Houston with my heart in London? So, I waited.

Though, we found opportunities to travel and connect, it was an emptier space without her around, and the six months that passed with her away were achingly slower than those we spent together. So, when Chelsea returned home, I asked if it could be in a home that we start together.

Two years, an epic epidemic later, and 841,436,864 hours next to each other, she’s still running circles in my head. From that third date, I’ve never stopped thinking about Chelsea. Wherever she may be in the world, she’s never been far from my thoughts.

Two years under house arrest, the home we’ve built is amazing, and the person I get to share it with even more so. On our first opportunity to travel, we again found ourselves in Mexico. And, I still had one more question for the person who now had my heart, my thoughts, and my time. That she not ever give them back.

From Chelsea:

First of all, I’d like to ask…

Does anyone really read these?

Sure, I’ve read them, especially when there’s a really good prize up for grabs at a bridal shower, or when I have to give a speech (making sure I’m not mixing up Billy the Groom with Ex #5)… But I am pretty positive that these Meet Cute playbacks are wildly under-appreciated.

As such, I will keep my version to a level that somewhat mirrors the audience’s attention. (You’re welcome.)

On a rainy Monday, we went on a date that I was more or less attending to simply prove a point to my sister that dates were not scary, no big deal, and should be treated as such. Especially on a Monday. "Monday dates," I told her, "are the BEST, because it's easy to cut things short-- I mean, everyone has to work on a Tuesday, right?"

Eight hours later, when he took me home and kissed me in the rain (like that scene in the Notebook without all the crying parts) --- “cutting things short” was the exact opposite of what I wanted. His charm and wit (and amazingly good looks) swept me away and I was, and continue to be, totally and hopelessly smitten.

At three months, he asked if he could introduce me as his girlfriend, and three months after that, I asked if he would wait for me while I took a work assignment in London.

I said he could, he said he would, and two years later, thankfully, Our Story is still being written. Sharing forever with Michael makes this world an infinitely more amazing adventure, and I can't imagine being happier experiencing it with him.