“Who are you and what are you doing in my coffee shop?” These words would be the first words that Sam would ever utter to Cassidy. He said this despite not being affiliated with the establishment. Sam came to this coffee shop every Wednesday to tell his bad stand up jokes on stage. Cassidy was only there to meet a new friend who turned out to always be chronically tardy. As Cassidy walked in alone with rainbow hair and a flowing skirt, Sam felt driven by fate, or impulse, or some other cosmic force, to talk to her. They exchanged pleasantries while Cassidy waited…and waited…and waited. Once Miss Unpunctual finally arrived, it was revealed that there was a mutual friendship amongst all three of them. The coffee shop open mic night became a sentimental weekly routine where Sam would get on stage to offend the locals, the mutual friend would saunter in hours late, and Cassidy would enjoy every beautiful moment in between with a beer in hand.

One day, Sam invited Cassidy to a local bar. Despite regularly rejecting every man who spoke to her, she knew that this was different. The two shared rooftop patio drinks as Cassidy recalled a recent rejection of one of the coffee shop guys. She ended the story by saying, “it was so awkward.” Without a moment’s pause, Sam smoothly remarked back, “I wonder how awkward it will be when I ask you out?” And that’s where their story truly began.

As their relationship blossomed, it became clear that they had always been mere steps from each other. An eerie one degree of separation followed them throughout their lives until they finally met. Cassidy’s childhood best friend was close to Sam’s childhood best friend, the same bully who terrorized Sam in elementary school would later terrorize Cassidy in middle school, and the couple lived in opposing neighborhoods on the same street as strangers. They missed each other by seconds year after year, until that fateful day in the coffee shop.

What followed were mountain adventures to some beautiful Colorado hot spots like Maroon Bells, Steamboat Springs, and Brainard lake. Cassidy even took Sam to New York City to show off her old stomping grounds. Her NYC friends and family immediately accepted him as a new friend of their own. Since that first year, their adventures together have taken them all the way to Puerto Rico.

Fast forward to December 2019 when the couple finally moved in together. They had big plans for constant dinner parties once they got settled in. The pandemic hit in March, and the future became a terrifying mystery. Cassidy and Sam navigated the changing world, realizing that plans weren’t the only things that would be changing. The couple was able to thrive together despite the worldly circumstances. The biggest change would come in October 2020, when an actual tiny angel puppy baby named Ripley entered their lives and their family grew by one fur baby!

Sam knew he was going to propose to Cassidy for a long time. When they planned a group trip to the witch city of Salem, it was obvious to Sam that there wouldn’t be a more perfect place. Secretly, Sam consulted with their friends to get the perfect ring while they made sure Cassidy was kept in the dark (but also had her nails done, of course). Sam even got her father’s blessing over a taco lunch (these are two men of taste, of course).

Once in Salem, the group visited a famous garden behind one of the homes where Hocus Pocus was filmed. Sam’s heart started pounding, THIS IS THE PLACE! Under the guise of taking cute photos, Sam got down on one knee. All the planning, secrecy, and five years of love had taken them both to this pivotal moment in time. When Cassidy turned around, Sam said…absolutely nothing! The man forgot how to speak. He couldn’t pop the question if he couldn’t talk. One of their friends screamed and started crying. Cassidy gasped, grabbing the ring from the box while asking, “well, are you going to say it?” Sam was shaken out of it. He told her to stop being his girlfriend and be his wife instead.

They spent their entire lives entering rooms after the other person had just walked out. It's like there was always a living ghost lingering with each of them. Cassidy is so happy the man with purple hair spoke to her in the coffee shop that day, but if he hadn't, there is no doubt that they would have met somewhere else along the way, eventually. It was written in the stars.