On September 4th, 2020, Emily made the fateful decision to listen to Hinge's best match recommendation and swiped right on Austin's profile, specifically liking his claim of supposedly having good recipes.


Austin then kept Emily waiting for a few days before matching in a transparent attempt to make it seem like there was a long queue of competing options ahead of her.


(there wasn't)


In the days that followed, Austin and Emily started endless conversations about anything and everything until Austin eagerly invited Emily out for their first date in Seaport on September 12th of 2020.


They met for the first time while still wearing masks in the depths of COVID, but even with the mask on Austin could clearly see the bright expression on Emily's face from her eyes alone. They went on to enjoy their first dinner together at Tuscan kitchen, but barely ate because they were too busy excitedly talking to each other and fulfilling the realization of the person they had only known online. That long dinner came to an end sooner than either of them wanted, so they continued their first date walking along the Boston harbor at sunset. As the sky darkened, they made their way to Caffè dello Sport in the North End for tiramisu and espresso martinis. This spot would become a tradition for them to revisit for endless future anniversaries. Still not wanting the night to end, Austin invited Emily back to his house to watch comedy and laugh together.


Before dropping Emily back home, they expressed how much they enjoyed the night and wanted to meet again. And Austin, being as impatient as he is, invited Emily out for a second date the very next day.


Their relationship quickly accelerated from back to back dates on weekends, to days long stays during snow storms, to vacations with friends and families. As the months went by, their time apart began to feel more foreign than their time together, until they finally moved in together officially with Austin's roommates, and then into their first apartment together for just the two of them (and Graham).


There never really was a clear start date to their relationship, but rather a continuous progression marked only by the day the first I love you was exchanged. Absent a formal start date, they marked the 4th of October as their anniversary, one month after Emily's first interaction with Austin.


Three years later in 2023, Austin would propose to Emily on the 5th of October (close enough) in the beautiful mountains of Ravello. And two years after that, on the 4th of October, 2025, Austin and Emily will further solidify their everlasting relationship by marrying each other in that same spot in the presence of you, their closest friends and family.