During a crisp fall evening in 2021, fate—aka our corporate jobs—brought us together at Mighty Squirrel Brewing in Waltham, MA, for a post-work happy hour. As we chatted, we discovered we lived just five minutes apart on Chestnut Hill Ave in Brighton and shared a quirky love for logistics! Well, sort of... That little coincidence quickly turned into a fun routine of carpooling to work events and enjoying outings with friends.

One memorable October day, we went apple picking with some friends. During the outing, Michaela mentioned her favorite fall treat was fresh-baked apple crisp. On the drive home, we found ourselves belting out “Just Haven’t Met You Yet” by Michael Bublé, which turned out to be the perfect soundtrack for what was about to unfold.

The very next day, Ryan spent hours baking an apple crisp and surprised Michaela on the front stoop of her brownstone apartment with apple crisp in hand and an invitation to try a new phở spot nearby. Michaela, blissfully unaware it was a date, enthusiastically agreed—“Of course, I love new restaurants!”

Our phở dinner sparked another great conversation, leading us to try a new Indian restaurant the following week. On the walk home after another delightful meal, Ryan finally mustered the courage to ask if we could be more than friends. Caught off guard, Michaela nervously replied, “I’d rather be just friends.” We shared an awkward hug, and with what little dignity Ryan had left, he walked home in a flurry—so much so that he forgot her leftovers in his hand. Sadly, those leftovers were never seen again.

Weeks went by, and Michaela found herself missing Ryan’s texts and regretting her decision. Around Thanksgiving, she reached out to offer him a ride to a work event, and happily—yet cautiously—he accepted. To sweeten the occasion, she baked an apple crisp for Thanksgiving, secretly hoping to save some for him as a not-so-subtle apology. Back at the office after the event, she handed him a container of apple crisp, hoping he’d get the hint.

As the holidays approached, we started spending more time together. We hosted our first annual cookie party at Michaela’s apartment, where we chatted so much that we completely melted the Brie in the oven. The next night we watched our favorite Christmas movie, Rudolph, together. It was during this night that we made our relationship official on December 11, 2021. Since then, we have been inseparable.

And yes—keep an eye out for that apple crisp at the wedding!