Katie and Matt met, as many modern lovers do, through the power of the Internet. Matt, who was working at Coast, found himself with a rare Friday off. Katie, who was working at Charityproud, was tired after a long week of work. They swiped right on each other's profiles in Bumble, and agreed to meet up after an afternoon of lively conversation in the app.

Katie and Matt met at McCrady's Tavern (RIP) for drinks. They hit it off immediately and drinks turned into dinner at the bar. Not wanting the night to end, they relocated to The Blind Tiger following dinner and enjoyed an evening of long conversation. Katie recalls feeling very comfortable on their first date, as if she had known Matt for a long time. The conversation flowed naturally between them and he was so polite and considerate of her. Matt found Katie smart, attractive, and energetic. "This could be the start of something good," he thought.

After a few months of dating, Katie and Matt realized that they wanted different things out of their relationship. Katie felt ready to settle down and become more serious; Matt wasn't so sure he felt ready for commitment. Matt decided to take the opportunity to relocate to Mobile, Alabama, and serve as a caregiver for his grandfather. He wasn't sure how long he would be away but they agreed to keep in touch while he was gone. Dr. Ahmadi passed away in 2018 and Matt returned to Charleston. Katie and Matt continued their friendship and met occasionally to share a pint and catch up on life.

In 2019, both Matt and Katie found themselves single in Charleston again. One October night, Katie and her mother Kathy were walking back to their car after dinner at a restaurant on King Street and bumped into Matt. The group had a brief, pleasant conversation before parting ways. "So that is Matt Ahmadi," Kathy mused with a smile when she and Katie arrived back at the car. Unbeknownst to Katie, this is when Matt began re-evaluating the nature of their relationship.

One Saturday morning in November, Katie received a text from Matt asking whether she would be willing to give a romantic relationship with him another chance. He was all in and ready to commit. After giving it some thought (and putting Matt through his paces) they decided to spend New Year's Eve 2019 together and the rest, as they say, is history.

Katie and Matt didn't know what was coming for them in 2020 when, in the last week of March, Katie was sent home for two weeks due to the spread of something called "coronavirus" and Matt's restaurant shut down. In the ensuing year, they participated in Takeout Fridays, Quarantine Cuisine on Saturdays (fine dining at home in Katie's apartment), and watched LOTS of television and movies.

The pandemic broke many couples apart during quarantine but Katie and Matt grew ever stronger in their commitment to each other and their relationship together. Though they spent most of 2020 on the couch, they were never bored and Matt started spending more of each week with Katie.

In October 2020, Katie and Matt moved in together. They met each other's families and friends and learned how to live together harmoniously. The ensuing years brought career changes and changes of address, but their commitment to each other remained steadfast.

On his birthday in 2023, Matt proposed at the site of the (now defunct) restaurant where they had their first date. Katie said, "Yes, of course!" ...before reminding Matt that she had to catch a plane in the morning to go to Arkansas for work.