That was Alex’s very first message to Maisie when they matched on Hinge in the summer of 2023. They officially connected in July, but between traveling and busy schedules, it took until September for them to finally meet in person. When they met — at White Horse Tavern in New York City — it immediately felt easy. A few weeks later, on a late night at Fiddlesticks in October, they officially started dating.

Not long after, they realized how many times they had almost crossed paths before ever matching. Alex had lived in New York City, then worked in Maisie’s hometown of Jacksonville, Florida in 2019–2020 — all before Maisie eventually moved to NYC herself in 2019. They were in the same cities, just never at the same time. Apparently, the universe was playing the long game. Then, after a few years, Alex made his way back to the NYC area.

What started as a jokingly “long-distance” relationship (FiDi to Hoboken), quickly turned into seeing each other all the time. Between late nights out, countless dinners (often with their best friend Lexie), and constant weekends together, the distance became pretty irrelevant. They bonded over football Sundays (go Bills & Jags!), golf, Taylor Swift, and a shared love of traveling and trying new things.

Somewhere between trips to Florida, Guatemala, Vegas, and more, getting close with each other’s families, and building everyday routines, it stopped feeling like dating and started feeling like building a life. In 2025, they both started new jobs, and in February, they took the next big step and moved in together — just a block from Maisie’s old apartment (where Lexie still lives, so she’s never far away).

On their one-year anniversary, Alex surprised Maisie with a stay at The Plaza and a walk through Central Park. Then, just a year later, in that same spot, Alex asked Maisie to marry him. She said yes, surrounded by family and close friends, they celebrated, and everything felt exactly right.

Now here they are — best friends, future spouses, frequent travelers, very competitive football watchers, and two people who are incredibly grateful they found each other when they did. They can’t wait to get married in Naples and celebrate with all of their favorite people!