Jacob and Michael met on a boat on Lake Lanier in May of 2019.

Let's back it up...

We begin our story in Shanghai, China and Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Jacob was at an international high school where he befriended Whitney. At the same time, Michael was in Grosse Pointe trying to stay out of trouble with his friend Brian.

After some time, the four had graduated high school and gone on to college; Jacob at Ohio State, Whitney at Purdue, and Mike and Brian at Michigan State. While Mike and his buddies made East Lansing their new stomping grounds, Jacob and Whitney stayed connected, occasionally visiting each other at Purdue and Ohio State.

While at Purdue, Whitney befriended Sima.

Keeping up with all the characters still?

Let's fast forward a few years and set the scene...

Mike is living in Atlanta and tearing it up with his friends Tim, Dan, and Aaron. While there, they meet Sima. After a few nights out and crossed paths, Sima and Aaron go on to begin dating. Together, Mike, Aaron and Sima are invited to a wedding. Sima calls Whitney: "There's a guy going to the wedding who needs a date! Are you available?" Hesitantly Whitney replies: "Yes..." Whitney

decides, 'what's the harm', it couldn't hurt and might be fun. Free food and

booze? Count her in. "His name is 'Mike'," Sima exclaims.

Whitney did have

a great time. This 'Mike' was a great guy. I mean in hindsight, who wouldn’t

have a great time with Mike? He’s the life of the party.

A few months later Jacob makes the move from Ohio to Chicago and moves into a small apartment in Lakeview East with Whitney.

While living in Chicago, Whitney introduced Jacob to Brian who she'd met while she was Mike's date at a wedding. Ironically only a few months later Jacob asks Whitney to be his date to a wedding. What could they say? At least Mike and Jacob had good taste. While their orbits were beginning to circle into place, Michael and Jacob knew nothing of one another or the adventure that was yet to come.

We'll fast forward another few years...

Whitney, Jacob, Michael, Brian, Sima, and Aaron (helping you out with the names here) have moved on in their lives to new cities and new jobs all around.

Jacob has moved from Chicago to Atlanta to start a new job with Coca-Cola. It takes some time, but Jacob eventually finds his footing in the city, setting out on his own, making new friends, and jet-setting around the world. It's spring of 2019 and Whitney's birthday is around the corner. Her birthday always falls on Memorial Day Weekend, and she's brainstorming where she should host her annual birthday bash. "Why not Atlanta?" she thought to herself. More than a few of her friends had moved there. Atlanta would be warm and could be a fun destination for a 3-day weekend.

& so she decided it would be Atlanta. She called Jacob to tell him, and he was thrilled. Little did he know that Coca-Cola would have him travelling in the weeks before. He only barely made it back to Atlanta for the festivities. Needless to say, he was ready for a party.

The next morning was the day. A bus would be taking Whitney's birthday crew from Atlanta up to Lake Lanier about 45 minutes north of the city. The group was gathered on the sidewalk beginning to load up the bus when Jacob rolled up in his Uber. He stepped out of the Uber and walked towards the group, already dressed in swimsuits and loading up the bus with beer and snacks. There was only one person he didn't recognize. "I'm Jacob" he said with an outstretched hand. After hoisting a cooler up into the bus, the stranger reached out his hand; "I'm Mike...nice to meet you."

After arriving at the lake, the crew loaded up the boat. Mike had volunteered to be the captain. "I barely know most of these people," Mike thought to

himself as the group loaded up the boat with booze and sunscreen. "Maybe I

should volunteer to be captain." Nobody was going to argue with Mike's

offer, and so he became the captain of a boat full of very rowdy young

professionals.

The boat had slowed into place in the middle of the lake. The sun was bright and glistening off the water. Drinks were being passed around, and an Ariana Grande remix played in the background. Mike put the boat in park, threw on his hat and sat on the seats at the stern, across from the guy he'd met when boarding the bus earlier.

Jacob looked up as Mike took a seat and the two struck up a conversation. It was easy. It was comfortable. Maybe it was because he was the captain, or maybe it was the Tequila, but something about this new friend made Jacob want to spend more time with him.

"I wonder if this is him," Mike thought to himself. Whitney had told him

there was a guy she thought he might like on the boat. The more the

conversation went on, the more he realized he liked this person. Who was this guy that just flew in from abroad? There was a certain mystery and allure that was amplified by the fact that Jacob was taking pulls from a Costco sized bottle of Tequila. As it turned out, Mike didn't know that the friend Whitney had spoken to him about had cancelled last minute. But alas; in the end, something was right. There was a guy on the boat that Mike liked, and he was sitting in front of him trying to find the next hit pop song to queue up for the stereo.

The day was rowdy, and nobody walked back to their apartments in straight line. Shirts and shoes were lost. But somehow, this crew had made it to the bars at the end of the night.

The Ivy was packed. They were squeezing through crowds to get drinks at the bar. In typical fashion Jacob was gossiping in the corner with a friend, discussing how Mike and Whitney would make a good couple. Whitney and Mike seemed to get along well, and Jacob was looking out for Whitney. Much to her chagrin, Whitney had been through one too many of Jacob's 'set ups'. Whitney approached the corner. "You two would make a good couple," Jacob whispered to her. Whitney responded flatly "Um I don't think so... he's gay." Jacob furrowed his brow. He was surprised but intrigued.

The group moved to the next bar; the iconic 'Johnny's Hideaway'. There are a few things that Johnny's is very well known for: killer music, a long line out the door, and a profound number of cougars. The dancefloor was packed. Drinks were spilling and there were smiles all around. The sunburn and exhaustion were no match for the DJ at Johnny's hideaway. Mike and Jacob almost by fate were pushed closer to one another on the dance floor. The crew was dancing in a small circle, with Mike and Jacob holding onto one another; Jacob's left arm around Mike's waist and Mike's right hand on the back of Jacob's neck. They continued dancing and Mike's hand moved to the back of Jacob's head, touching his hair. "This feels right," Jacob thought. He turned to Mike, and they continued dancing just the two of them. It wasn't because he was the captain of the boat, and it wasn't the tequila he thought.

This was a crush.

This was a genuine crush.

It took a few months, a few missed opportunities, and a few panic attacks before Jacob finally worked up the courage to ask Mike to go to beers. We should mention this was after Mike's thwarted attempts to take Jacob out himself, all thanks to Jacob's cold feet. "Friday night happy hour. No risk at all. It could be a date or just a hang out - open for interpretation." Jacob

thought to himself. It was the perfect plan. & so it was in the books.

The day of the ‘maybe date’ Jacob sat at his desk in the office. He was nervous, excited, scared, happy. In just a few hours he could be going on what could be a date (or a hangout, he reminded himself). Just after lunch he got a text from Mike: "I have a different idea". Mike had received two VIP

tickets to the PGA tour at East Lake golf course for that afternoon: one of the

many perks of working in sales. But there was a catch; "You'll have to

leave work and meet me now." The text was bold. Jacob was surprised. It

was one o'clock and they weren't supposed to meet for drinks until seven. Would he say yes, drop everything he was working on and meet Mike at his apartment? That would almost certainly steer things into date territory, right? Would he seem too available if he did?

"It's worth it" he thought as he closed his laptop.

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