Rachel and Ben met during the height of COVID, both working at a restaurant in Del Mar, California. Rachel was working as a hostess and Ben was a food runner. On a different coworker’s last night of work, Ben asked if she wanted to grab a drink at the bar. Fortunately for Rachel she had other plans and declined his invitation. Rachel then chimed in and said, “Well, I’m available for a drink,” and the rest is history.

What started as a casual evening quickly turned into something more. Rachel was about to head back to Portland State for her final semester of college softball, so they figured it would be a short-lived summer romance. A few weeks before she left, Ben asked her to be his girlfriend. He drove up north for weekend games, they survived months of texts and video calls, and when Rachel graduated she moved to San Diego to close the distance.

Not long after, Ben decided to finish his final year at TCU, which meant another year of long distance was in their future. So, they swapped roles and Rachel flew to Texas as often as she could to visit Ben. Once he graduated, he joined her in San Diego, and they finally called the same city home. After a few years in San Diego, Ben and Rachel moved to St. Louis so Rachel could pursue her nursing degree. Now settled in the Midwest, they’re already plotting their next adventure together.

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