First of all, here's a little bit about them.

Ryan: 47 yo, no kids, never married. Born in SF. San Francisco—> Los Angeles—> Fremont

Gina: 47 yo, kids, divorced. Made in Korea. Korea—> San Diego —> Las Vegas —> Stockton

They met the way 60% of couples meet nowadays—online. Specifically, through Facebook Dating. Romantic, right? Nothing screams “love story of the century” like meeting on the platform where your aunts and high school classmates argue about politics.

Ryan decided to try Facebook Dating because he figured, hey, Facebook already knows everything about him—his friends, his interests, even his bad taste in profile pictures—so why not let it find him a date? Unfortunately, after weeks of swiping, he thought the app was terrible. Nobody seemed interested in meeting up, and the only “spark” he found was the one in his laptop charger. Gina, on the other hand, was pushed into the app by a friend who probably said something like, “What’s the worst that could happen?” Spoiler alert: the worst didn’t happen—Ryan did.

They exchanged messages for just one day. One of Gina’s first texts was, “Have you met anyone on here?” Ryan replied, “No, but I’d date you!” Confident, right? Bold move for a guy sitting in a Vegas hotel room eating room service fries while working on his laptop. Their conversation went so well that it quickly escalated to a FaceTime call. To make this more chaotic, Ryan was playing craps with coworkers at the time. Nothing says “potential soulmate” like FaceTiming someone while shouting at a dice roll.

Ryan was relieved that Gina actually looked like her profile pictures (thanks, FaceTime, for confirming she wasn’t a bot or a middle-aged guy named Bob). That relief quickly turned into excitement, and they made plans to meet up the following weekend when Ryan returned home.

Now, Gina lived in Stockton, and Ryan, ever the problem-solver, suggested meeting halfway. But the halfway point was basically a gas station and a field of cows, so Ryan decided on a restaurant near Gina’s house. Little did he know, this restaurant was just five minutes from Gina’s place. She probably walked there while Ryan circled the parking lot, trying to look cool.

Ryan showed up a few minutes early and parked by the entrance. As he sat there, he spotted a blonde woman walking toward the door. Realizing it was Gina, he panicked and hustled inside like he was running late for a job interview. Meanwhile, Gina casually turned around, locking eyes with Ryan like she had planned this dramatic moment for years.

After being seated, Ryan immediately asked if he could sit next to her instead of across the table. Bold move #2 for the night. Hours flew by as they talked, laughed, and ignored the judgmental stares of the waitstaff wondering when they’d free up the table. By the end of the night, Ryan broke his “no kissing on the first date” rule and kissed Gina right there at the table. Some rules are made to be broken, especially when there’s chemistry.

Before leaving, Ryan asked Gina when he’d see her again. “Saturday,” she said. A whole week away! On his hour-long drive back to Fremont for a BBQ, Ryan texted Gina the entire time because clearly, texting and driving laws are just suggestions when you’re smitten.

At the BBQ, Ryan’s friend didn’t even have to ask; the grin on his face said it all:

**Friend:** How was your date?

**Ryan:** AMAZING!

**Friend:** Amazing?

**Ryan:** AMAZING, AMAZING!

**Friend:** Wow, you’ve said “amazing” three times. Who are you, and what have you done with Ryan?

That night, Ryan decided a week was too long to wait. He drove back to Stockton the very next day. And before their “official” second date, they ended up seeing each other three more times. Love waits for no calendar!

But wait, there’s more. Two weeks before meeting Gina, Ryan had been in Bali, where he visited a water temple. One of the fountains, Fountain 7, claimed to have “healing properties” for love:

- Increases love toward a partner

- Strengthens bonds between couples

- Attracts a perfect match

- Deepens relationships

- Brings harmony to families

Ryan spent extra time under that fountain, probably muttering, “Work your magic, Fountain 7.” Well, it looks like it did. If you ever see Ryan, he’ll swear the fountain was the real MVP of this story.

And the rest? The rest is history—or a Netflix rom-com waiting to happen.

Marriott Fremont Silicon Valley

HL Peninsula Restaurant - Milpitas