Once upon a time, it was the fall of 2021. Erin was just about to begin her first full-time job as an occupational therapist. She was living with her parents, who were conveniently redoing the entire first floor of their home. This meant that Erin was actually living with her parents in the basement...things were not chaotic whatsoever.

To say Erin was tired of dating apps would be the understatement of the century. Anyone who has been on the apps (and actually put effort towards talking to and meeting up with strangers) understands the inevitable oddities and BS of modern dating. Erin was reluctantly on Tinder and had gotten to the point where she threw her hands in the air and decided she would attempt to reach out and connect with ONE more man. And if that failed, it was time to take a vacation from the apps.

You guessed it, that lucky man was Ricky Downs. He was handsome, close enough in distance, and didn't have a weird bio. In fact, he had no bio at all. A man of few words.

Erin sent a gif of Jess from New Girl lifting her glasses up and down, saying "woah, cute guy alert!" Clearly, an amazing choice. Ricky sent a funny gif back of Winston saying "shawty, what that thang do?" and the playful banter ensued. To clarify, this quickly turned into Ricky making a joke about how he collected forks and knives but he was in need of a little spoon. I know, I know.

They agreed to meet up for a date in downtown Naperville at Empire and had a great time. The connected over knowing Lou Halper (who graduated with Erin and is Ricky's brother in law) and loving Bo Burnham. Ricky really loved how Erin lived in the basement with her parents. He thought that was so cool.

They continued to stay in touch, despite life hiccups. After dating for a couple months, Ricky began keeping juice boxes at his apartment so that when Erin's blood sugar got low, she would not have to worry about having sugar nearby. That was especially cute, as Ricky's kitchen cabinets and refrigerator were hardly filled with enough to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for himself.

Ricky was such a calm, positive presence, which was unconsciously very nerve-wracking for Erin. Similarly to how Kelly Kapoor felt for Daryl in The Office, Erin thought, "Ricky Downs is the most complicated man I've ever met. I mean, who says exactly what they're thinking? What kind of game is that?"

Once Erin realized she was, in fact, being the anti-hero, her and Ricky went out with her friends on black Wednesday before Thanksgiving and she said yes when Ricky asked, "So can I call you my girlfriend, now?"

The rest is history. They prepared their respective dogs, Dex and Millie, to become brother and sister as Erin and Ricky moved in together after a short 6 months as a couple. But it was perfect. They now own a house together and have lots of plans for the future, including getting absolutely DOWN at their wedding. See you there.

Thanks, Tinder. xoxo

-author unknown