Our story started in September of 2019, our second month of college. Our friend had invited Mel to the mall, and I was the only one with a car. Mel got in the backseat, I turned my head and immediately transformed into a looney toons character with heart eyes popping out of my skull. I looked at her and said "who are you?" (smooth). She didn't even answer, she just smiled and looked back down at her phone. I was smitten.

We spent the next few months as friends. I remember I was always trying to sit on the same side of the table as her, or let my friends drive my car so I could sit in the back seat with her, or how I would always grab her a peppermint hot chocolate because "I was going there anyway" (I was never going there anyway).

January came and everyone was coming back from winter break. I lived close by so I was one of the first ones back. I texted our group chat asking if anyone needed a pick-up from the airport, hoping Mel would need one. She did, but so did like 20 other people (worth it). Mel was the first person back. I picked her up at 7:00 am and we kissed at 8:00 am.

I spent the next few weeks asking her to date me - I think I asked like 12 times. Then on February 22nd she said yes. Everything was awesome, until march 10th, when we got sent home for COVID. We had only really been together for 16 days.

We did long distance from March until August, then Mel decided she was going to move down to San Diego. She swore up and down it didn't have anything to do with me. She had a friend down here, and she got a job she needed to be in California for, etc. All nonsense, it had everything to do with me. I didn't really care, though, as long as she was closer.

She spent about two months in her apartment downtown, and then she moved up to north county, and we moved in together in September. It was a big leap - we had only been together 6 months, and had only been together in person for 16 days.

To this day, I still think it was the best decision I've ever made. We've been together for 6 years, and living together for 5 and a half. Thats our story, at least from my perspective.

- Chris