It all began on November 25, 2023, when Alicia saw James’s smile on a dating app and decided she had to message him. That smile looked trustworthy, maybe even husband material. James replied (because how could he not?), and pretty soon Alicia was calling him just to hear his accent — the kind that made grocery lists sound romantic.

A few days later, on November 29, they went on their first date at an oyster bar in Greenville. Now, let’s be clear — Alicia hates oysters. She thinks they taste like ocean-flavored regret. But she smiled, nodded, and pretended she was a classy foodie while mentally counting down to when she could order fries somewhere else. Luckily, James suggested they go back to his place and hang out, and Alicia realized she liked him way more than she disliked mollusks.

After that, you could say Alicia became a part-time Greenville resident. “Just running errands,” she’d tell everyone including James — as if Greenville was secretly the shopping capital of the world. It worked though, because by December 19 2023, James flashed his irresistable smile and said, “I’m not asking for forever—just a few laps around life with you in the passenger seat.” Alicia immediately decided that meant no other women ever, under any circumstances.

James claimed he was never falling in love again and didn’t want to hear “I love you.” By April 2024, both of those statements had self-destructed. Alicia broke half the local female population’s hearts. Some even FaceTimed her to inform her they were “there first.” It didn’t matter. One way or another, their numbers vanished faster than leftovers after Thanksgiving.

By summer 2024, Alicia was bringing her overnight bag... and then just kind of forgot to leave. Their free weekends turned into beach escapes, cover band concerts, lighthouse adventures, and camping trips — pretty much anywhere they could go where there’d be very little cell signal to disconnect from everyday life for awhile.

By October 2024, she was officially moved in, and they were that annoyingly adorable couple who finished each other’s sentences (and fries).

Then came 2025, a year no one could have predicted. Alicia faced two strokes, a disastrous 500mg Delta-9 gummy incident that sent her to the ER, and a torn calf muscle and meniscus that left her on crutches for half the year. They even gave each other a “get out of this relationship free” card — no questions, no guilt. Neither used it. Instead, they turned hospital visits into date nights, mini day trip escapes, and proved that love and medical drama can coexist peacefully.

Finally, December 2025 arrived, and they escaped to Florida for a properly romantic vacation with some much needed "salt water therapy". Ft. Lauderdale, Key West, the Everglades — if it had sunshine and food, they tried it. They even hopped a ferry to the Bahamas to explore deserted Bimini by golf cart. It was all laughter, sand, and questionable directions until Alicia tried to get in the ocean. The waves had other ideas. After a few spectacular knockdowns, she surrendered and went back to the beach chair, declaring victory through survival.

That’s when James asked her to walk with him by the water. He told her she made him happier than he’d ever been... then dropped to one knee. Alicia, never one to make things easy, said something sarcastic instead of “yes.” But after enough hugging and kissing, the message was clear. Forty-five minutes later, she made it official with a simple, “Fine, yes.”

And that’s how an oyster-pretending, wave-fighting, gummy-surviving, slightly sarcastic love story turned into an engagement — living proof that true love isn’t perfect, but it’s a whole lot funnier that way.