The short version of our story is one that is very familiar these days. “We met on a dating app.” But if you peel back the curtain, you'll see the full story spans 2 different apps, 3 matches and 6 very long weeks. You can't make this stuff up.

Our fairy tale begins on an app called Hinge, where Ross laid eyes on Marissa for the first time. Immediately, he was taken by her piercing blue eyes and breathtaking smile. He “liked” one of her photos and hoped for the best. To his surprise, he received a message back! Marissa and Ross talked for a little bit and then...silence. Marissa had ghosted Ross. For you boomers unfamiliar with the term “ghosting,” it is when someone suddenly and unexpectedly stops contacting you with absolutely no reason or rationale.

Approximately 2 weeks after the first (yes, first) ghosting, Ross once again came across Marissa’s profile. Undeterred, Ross sends another message. This time Marissa was kind enough to ignore him straight away, as opposed to stringing him along with a few messages.

For those keeping track at home, that was ghosting number 2.

Now we move on to a second app, Bumble, where women make the first move. Ross was swiping away on the app when he came across a familiar blue eyed young woman. One would think that based on the string of misfortune Marissa had bestowed upon him previously, he would not be interested; but there was just something about this one and after all, third time’s the charm right? Ross swiped right. To his surprise, it was a match! Ross waited anxiously to see if Marissa would send a message, which she eventually did and after a few weeks of messaging and phone conversations a first date was planned. Patience paid off.

The first date was casual; an evening walk down by the water in Patchogue. After filling the air with conservation, discussing everything from the weather to religion for what seemed like only a few minutes but was actually several hours, they hugged goodbye and drove away. The next day, hoping that he wasn’t heading for ghosting number 3, Ross sent Marissa a message saying how much fun he had and that he would love to see her again, and luckily for all of us, she happily agreed. And the rest, as they say, is history.