Carissa and Alex meet at a start of the year beach BBQ for their graduate school. Alex does handstands. Carissa asks Lauren to find out if he has a girlfriend. Lauren asks and it's awkward, Alex thinks she's hitting on him, even though she's basically engaged. Water under the bridge.

Carissa and Alex don't know what they want, and just spend time underwater together instead of talking about it. After a missile crisis causes them to reevaluate their entire lives, they decide to give this a shot "for real."

Carissa and Alex travel, surf, and fall in love all summer. Alex tells Carissa he loves her over snapchat while she's at her cousins wedding, because romance isn't dead.

Alex and Carissa move in together! They don't realize that the coming pandemic means they will need to share a tiny room, one desk, and live in house with 5 people together for an indefinite amount of time. We made it through, sort of.

Alex graduates with his Master's degree just barely escaping having to do virtual school from the pandemic. Thank god.

In a rare turn of events, they both quit their jobs to start a company together in a field that doesn't exist yet.

Carissa and Alex move to Maui for whale season and work, then come back within months to their very own beach cottage.

After countless road trips, countries, jobs, homes, travels, ventures, and new hobbies, Riley officially decides Alex can stay.

Alex proposes to Carissa at Carricitos Beach in Sayulita, Mexico over wine and a beautiful sunset. They tell no one for days and instead surf, horseback ride, eat ceviche, and get food poisoning.

I guess we like each other enough to make it official :)