New York City can be a rather lonely place, contrary to what most people would believe. Despite coming across hundreds of people each day, meeting a potential partner through conventional means is far more challenging than expected. Enter the dating app world…

It all started on OK Cupid -- Ashley was scrolling through profiles before she stumbled upon this handsome, witty, and clearly nerdy man, and decided to make the first move.

Meanwhile, somewhere on Staten Island, Andrew’s phone vibrated in a familiar fashion. It wasn’t a homerun notification… darn… but this was much better. An alert appeared briefly, accompanied by a small profile portrait of a pretty woman. Intrigued by this new development, Andrew eagerly inspected the curious text from this unknown messenger.

After talking for a few weeks they set their first date for April 16th in Battery Park. What was only supposed to be a few hours quickly turned into an entire day. They played 21 questions and got to know each other as they hopped from place to place trying to stay warm, neither one eager for the date to end. Ashley quickly felt that he checked all the boxes of what she was looking for in a partner and left the date confident that they would be meeting again soon….. And then Andrew ghosted her for two weeks.

Anyway…. fast forward a few months later, Andrew anxiously waited in his car. So much for an early start, he thought. He turned towards the passenger seat, and saw her approaching the car with a travel bag and a smile quickly formed. Although just a short weekend trip, it would prove to be a significant one – it was their first trip together, just the two of them. It would be a few hours of travel from her place in Queens to Philly, but the drive felt much faster given the chatter of excitement from both of them. The time alone together, coupled with a sense of exploration in an unfamiliar place, made the experience a special and memorable one. It was during this trip that Andrew realized he was falling for Ashley. This was the first of many, many trips together and officially joined the two as a couple.

Of course Ashley knew much earlier that she was in love with this oblivious but endearing gentleman. It was rare to find someone who treated her with such respect, someone who she knew was worth fighting for. He came at the perfect time in her life and helped her get over the loss of her mother. Every step of the way Andrew was there for her, whether it was helping her fix things in her shared apartment or just being a kind listening ear. Ashley decided it was worth introducing him to her family at her little brother's wedding. Her father made it a point to attempt to intimidate and weird Andrew out by creepily hovering around him, but Andrew took it like a champ. Andrew quickly won over the Roberts with his charm and witty humor. It wasn’t too long before they decided to take things a step further and move in with each other. Mostly because Andrew hated the commute from Staten Island to Queens and back, but also to rescue Ashley from an unpleasant living situation with her roommates. Ashley met his family shortly after that and they welcomed her with open arms. Andrew made it a point to help Ashley reach her dreams. After her nanny job ended, he helped her get her Bachelor's degree (something that she never thought she could do, but Andrew made possible).

Fast forward again to 2023. It was a splendidly rainy day in October, and the two were off to a familiar place in Pennsylvania. It wasn’t to Andrew’s parents, but it was to where Ashley had first met them, at Longwood Gardens. Just another weekend day trip to enjoy her favorite time of year, she thought. Running late again thanks to her, he thought. The plan was to meet up with friends at the botanical gardens to show them around, or so she thought. Unbeknownst to her, he had bigger plans in store, revolving around something precious stashed away in his pocket. What has he got in his pocket? A reader should know better. His plan was to completely surprise her. After weeks of deflecting questions from her and her annoyingly loyal friends, pretending to still be ring-searching, and dismissing this venture as nothing more than wanting to spend time with some friends, he was finally prepared to do what he should have done sooner. The two friends were in on the scheme and played along well enough to keep the day seemingly ordinary, having been briefed in the days leading up to this one. The key would be timing and location, as Andrew had a plan in motion to surprise her at the Italian Garden exhibit. Of course they arrived to find the place closed for construction, and to his brief dismay, he knew he had to resort to Plan B. After a more-upset-than-usual moment of being detoured elsewhere, the group made their way towards the large man-made pond, surrounded by well-manicured pavers. Also surrounding the pond came a flock of annoying bystanders, likely part of a tour group. This caused Andrew to resort to Plan C, now a bit more anxious than before, but not wavering from the pressure. They followed a solitary path along a stream that was covered by shrubs and trees, which led to a secluded relic of a stone gazebo, with ageless columns wrapped in a vine trellis. This was the perfect spot, he thought. He made a cue to the others to signal them to ready their cameras. They distracted her for a moment (perhaps a little too well), and when she turned, she saw the man she loved so dearly, down on one knee, holding open a small box with something glittering inside. Their eyes locked, and after several silent seconds of shock, and all sorts of emotions teeming inside them, she accepted and embraced her betrothed.