Written By: Will Branner

Danielle and Will met twice.

The first was after Danielle was hosting her first concert in New York City. Will just happened to be there supporting some friends. He sat there completely lovestruck, enamored with this beautiful Canadian girl in a green dress. After the concert, they all traveled to a little bar down the street. A slightly underage Will (shhh) desperately trying to impress, bought her a drink. She got a corona. What Will didn't know was she was so nervous she didn’t know what to order. They talked all night and went their separate ways. Will says he never forgot her and even went as far as to tell his Mom about the cool girl he met that night. The girl in the green dress.

6 years later, while sitting in his 6 bedroom, 6 person apartment, their good friend Reed Campbell very casually said to Will,

“My friend Danielle is coming to hang.”

“Danielle who?” Will asked.

“Wade. Danielle Wade.” Reed said.

“SHE’S GONNA BE HERE? IN OUR APARTMENT!?”

Will desperately attempted to clean his room. Stuffing his clothes in the closet, making his bed & cleaning the bathroom for the first time maybe ever. Danielle arrived. Will, somehow managing to pull it together, asked “So you probably don’t remember me but we met before.” Danielle responded, “Yeah, I totally remember that night!” She was lying but trying to be kind, as Canadians do.

The next night was the big night, although neither of them knew that yet. They went to a dive bar in midtown for Reed’s birthday. A casual glance, a few giggles and a shot or two were shared throughout the party. Danielle actually tried to set Will up with her friend and in doing so ended up talking to him the whole night instead. Probably far too close to his face for relative strangers. After a few more shots, Will asked “Can I kiss you?”

“Not in here” Danielle politely said as she flashed her blue eyes.

He returned to the group and shortly after felt a tap on the shoulder. It was Danielle. “Are you gonna walk me home?” she said definitely as more of a statement than a question. Holding hands exiting the bar the couple barely make it a block. At 2:00 a.m. on a beautiful January night they shared a first kiss in the middle of a New York sidewalk.

Fireworks on 48th and 9th.

It took them six years but they’d finally found each other exactly one block away from their original meeting place.The next two weeks of Danielle’s trip flew by. Will never left her side as they fell in love all over NYC. Inseparable right from the start. Danielle had to leave to go back to work in Canada for the next ten months. Many friends warned against the dangers of long distance and every bit of it fell on deaf ears. Their love made very little logistical sense, it wasn’t convenient but it was always exactly right.

They joke the universe conspired to bring them together. It knew - and the second anyone saw them together they knew too.

Things to Do

THE NIGHT BEFORE

April 30th

Goldsboro Event Center