October 2014. Five Points Community Church. Auburn Hills, Michigan. In a sunny sanctuary, a young couple, Daniel and Victoria, share a simple but tasteful wedding ceremony with their friends and family. In the pews, as a guest of the groom, Jacob, age thirteen, and as a guest of the bride, Kristyn, age fifteen. The two do not meet; but surely their eyes fall on one another in passing.

…

September 2024. Kirk in the Hills. Bloomfield, Michigan. Just a few miles off of historic Woodward Avenue, nestled in a shady neighborhood is the Kirk: a Presbyterian cathedral. The sky-high spire of the cathedral, a loving homage to Melrose Abbey, a cathedral an hour out of Edinburgh, Scotland, can be seen from the street and from the nearby lake alike.

Within the nave, beneath the high gothic ceilings and stunning stained glass, Jacob and Kristyn meet properly, nearly ten years after their paths first crossed. Jacob, a member of the Kirk since November 2023, has been single and looking to mingle for some time; Kristyn, too, is looking for a match. It’s a tough landscape: the slim Christian dating pool has been difficult to navigate, and dating apps have failed to improve the situation. When Kristyn begins to visit the Kirk, her friend Victoria mentions the Ervin family, who attend there; Jacob, and his parents, Brian and Barbara, regular attendees since that same November. Unshyly, Kristyn introduces herself to them; Jacob and Kristyn shake hands, and she blushes.

Two weeks pass. Kristyn’s birthday rolls around. Brian and Barbara, keen on encouraging the pair to get to know one another, invite her to lunch; she acquiesces, and from the very first knows that something is special about Jacob. He, too, feels the spark. They share so many experiences, interests, and opinions; there’s something crackling between them, electric, and they don’t want the meal to end. They cruise Woodward together in his Cordoba afterwards, lingering. Both begin to harbour quiet crushes.

Monday. The very next day. Jacob invites Kristyn to join him for dinner the following Sunday: a first date proper. He is eager to know Kristyn better and she feels strongly the same; she agrees to the date, of course, and indeed counters with an offer for Jacob to peruse her record collection before they share a meal.

They’re mutually impatient, though, thrilled by their undeniable and near-instant connection; and so they go for a walk together in Proud Lake Recreation Area, a park in the Detroit area, that very same evening. They swap stories, histories, and dreams, their low, eager voices and frequent laughter echoing off the boardwalk. Their match, a just-right, lock-and-key fit, wildfire-quick, becomes clear that night. Once again, they find themselves lingering. They meander through the park, walking every path they stumble upon; they seize on any opportunity to continue the conversation. Afterwards, they grab a late-night bite. In the photos they share with their friends and family, both wear enormous, ear-to-ear grins.

Weeks pass, and then months; Jacob and Kristyn spend time together as often as they are able. Their dates frequently revolve around their mutual passion for old things: the antique, the vintage, the archaic, and the retro. They listen to records, watch old movies, discuss out-of-print novels, and go on outings charmingly clad in vintage-inspired fashion, arm-in-arm and neatly coordinated. On a trip to John K. King’s, a used and rare bookshop in Detroit, Jacob surprises Kristyn with a special gift; an 1876 copy of Marcius Wilson’s An Illustrated History of the United States. Mentioned in E. D. E. N. Southworth’s Ishmael, a book which Kristyn was very fond of in childhood, it's out-of-print and hard to find. Still, when Jacob reads Ishmael in an effort to impress Kristyn, he immediately begins hunting for a copy. He arranges to purchase the book in advance and requests that staff hide it on the shop shelves for Kristyn to find herself upon their arrival; she’s delighted by the discovery and his thoughtfulness alike. For the first time, Jacob allows himself to acknowledge it: he’s in love.

…

December 2024. The Kirk. Bloomfield, Michigan. Kristyn shares a festive dinner out with Jacob, Brian, and Barbara; then, the three of them attend the first of two Christmas Eve services at the Kirk together. Brian and Barbara return home at the conclusion of the liturgy. Jacob and Kristyn stay, though, as Jacob is ushering the midnight service and Kristyn means to keep him company. Afterwards, she asks him to join her for a quiet tour of the Tower of the Apostles: the interior of the spire of the cathedral, which houses not only one of the largest carillions in the world, but also an impressive collection of sculpture, art, and stained glass, rich with religious symbolism and significance. Kristyn has been ill for a few weeks and has not been able to spend as much time with Jacob as a result. Though their blossoming relationship is tentative, still fragile and new like a wobbly fawn, they have missed one another. He acquiesces happily. When they reach the top of the spiral staircase, Kristyn produces a thimble and gives it to Jacob.

“Now I shall give you a kiss,” she says, referencing J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan as well as Hook, a favourite film of hers. They share their first proper kiss in the early morning hours of Christmas day, in the cathedral that has grown dear to both of them, just as they have grown dear to one another.

…

January 2025. Lapeer, Michigan. Following a cosy New Year’s Eve celebration, Jacob and Kristyn begin officially dating on the first of January; Jacob asks in the form of a handwritten note. It reads Will You Be My Girlfriend? Beneath this heading, tick-box options: “yes,” “absolutely,” and “yes, please.” There is no option for “no.”

Kristyn doesn’t need that option, anyway.

…

February 2025. Dearborn, Michigan, and Detroit, Michigan. Jacob and Kristyn spend a chilly Michigan day dressed to the vintage nines together at the historic Henry Ford museum. Later, they share a posh dinner at the Whitney Mansion, an elegant Woodward Avenue restaurant. There is a thrilling energy between them, suddenly, half-anxious but wholly eager. In the month since their first kiss it has become abundantly clear that Jacob and Kristyn are meant to be. Neither feels any urge to wait and see: they are certain of the permanence of their connection and they need not prolong their courtship. Jacob fidgets with the ring box in his pocket as he nervously texts his twin and his parents, updating them, and the photographer, Liz, a friend of Kristyn’s. She is caught in traffic and delayed a few minutes, which adds to his giddy anxiety. Jacob cannot keep a secret, from Kristyn least of all; and so she, too, is nervous, excitedly awaiting his proposal.

Between dinner and dessert, Jacob invites her to join him in viewing the stained glass which gorgeously frames the staircase landing; it echoes their meeting in the nave of the Kirk. Liz has successfully navigated traffic and hides nearby, camera in hand. Jacob gets on one knee and for a moment, Kristyn cannot speak.

“I’ve realised I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” he tells her as he opens the ringbox. “Will you marry me?”

Tears well in her eyes at the sight of the beautiful ring; at the Celtic knots woven into the platinum, binding them together and bringing Kristyn into his family. She says yes.

They toast, afterwards, champagne in hand; they giggle, flush with adrenaline, relieved anxiety, and pure, sweet joy. They text everyone they know; they call Jacob's twin, too, to share the good news. Afterwards, they visit Kristyn’s grandfather, where they are met with cake, congratulations, and the company of close friends. They begin planning their wedding that very evening.

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