They met in Econometrics in Lincoln Hall; he being a Senior and she a Sophomore. As he walked in to the quarter’s first TA lecture, there was only one other student as unnecessarily early as he. In an attempt to make conversation, he asked her if he was in the right place. After kindly confirming, she smiled and looked away expecting the conversation to end, only to be met with more questions about the Mo Farah t-shirt she had on. The conversation, which was supposed to be short, carried on until the lecture began.

From this one conversation, grew others, mostly due to his persistence. Early on she would arrive prior to lecture and start to read or work on her laptop, only to be interrupted with more questions. She would never admit it, but she started to look forward to these biweekly chats.

These conversations turned to study sessions in the library and then eventually trips around the city. They both said they weren’t “dates” per se, but they sure met the criteria. Eventually, just before Christmas break, he worked up the courage to ask her out properly. She said no, worried about his impending graduation, but wanted to keep seeing him. Over break they continued to chat every day, including a phone call for several hours as he made the drive from Chicago to Nebraska. During these many conversations she realized that her feelings weighed more than her fears, and that she wanted to give their relationship a chance.

Returning from break they continued their “not-dates”, taking a trip to one of his favorite places in the city, Garfield Park Conservatory. Following that date they sat in his college house basement on Simpson Street, where she asked him out, only to be met by the same “no” she had replied with a couple months prior.

It took less than 24 hours but he came to his senses, meeting her at the door of her apartment the following morning. Unable to pull the words together to express his regret about turning her down, he leaned in and kissed her.

From there the next four years became a collection of dates, trips, and visits back to St. Louis, Northfield, and Omaha. In 2021 they moved in together, and just over a year later they bought their first home on Belle Plaine Avenue. Shortly before closing on their home, he planned a date back to Garfield Park Conservatory. She had her suspicions that the timing and location of this date meant something more, but she could not be sure.

As they walked down the steps down from the Palm House, he, just as nervous as the day he first kissed her in that apartment doorway, pulled a ring from his pocket and dropped to one knee. Unlike those four years prior, the intentions of this trip to the Conservatory were completely clear.