Ten years ago, in a house not so far away…

Doug and I first met at a video games and movie jam with mutual friends. We hit it off right away—but were dating other people. Still, we became fast friends, and stayed so when I moved up to Portland. Over the next five years, our love of gaming, nerdery, and bad jokes kept our friendship strong, even 600 miles apart. Until about four years ago.

Then, one fateful summer visit to the Bay Area to see old friends would change our lives forever. It was another night of movies and games with friends, but this time it ended a bit differently. It wasn't Game Over for our friendship, but for us, it was The End of being single.

We tried not to date. We really did! We'd both recently gotten out of long relationships, and needed time before starting another. I was beginning my last year of college at PSU. And besides, we lived 600 miles apart! Given all that, we absolutely should not, and would not, start a relationship.

Yeah, that lasted about a week.

Love blossomed quickly. Doug visited Portland for the first time. A couple weeks later, I went back to Palo Alto to visit my dad (and spend every other minute with Doug). Our inside jokes made our friends groan and roll their eyes. A half dozen trips later—later that summer!—we admitted to ourselves we were actually dating. As the summer of 2019 was coming to an end, I said the big “L” word for the first time—in my sleep!

Doug’s Note:

She’d fallen asleep cuddling up against me. She stirred happily, and said “Mmmmmm...I love you.” I spent the entire next day wondering if she had really said that, and finally had to ask. “Oh my god!” She looked stricken. “I thought that was just a dream!” She started to panic, but I told her it was okay, and that I loved her, too.

We kept all of this going for a full year, even while living a state away. Even through a pandemic. Though visiting each other got far, far more difficult during Covid, we kept doing so. When I finally graduated college, I moved down to the bay to be closer to Doug. Our plan at first was to live close, but still apart. I would live with my dad (only ten miles away!) for six months or so. Due to the nature of the pandemic—and spending every single day together!—this plan got a rewrite. We decided to roll the dice a couple months into my move, and see if we could stand living together. Turns out, we couldn't stand *not* living together!

We have since spent countless evenings playing board games, hosting friends for movie nights, snuggling up on the couch for quiet nights in, and simply enjoying each other’s company.

Now we look forward to starting the most exciting chapter of our lives. Through the most difficult times, we found comfort and support in each other. We have both moved, changed jobs, had ill family members and friends, and fought loneliness, longing, and germs. But neither distance nor pandemic could stop us!

The last few years have not been easy for any of us. Yet Doug and I found in each other the love and support that would carry us through it. Now we can look forward to a lifetime of happiness, each knowing we will always have love, laughter, and our best friend there by our side.