Like all great love stories, ours begins with initial hate. We begin by opening our scene on Millikin University, the Fall of 2019 - beginning of Freshman year. As with many colleges, we begin the dreaded 'Welcome Week' - a miserable, frivolous week where you participate in daily ice breakers and silly games to 'bring you out of your shell and make friends!' This branded torture brings us to the meeting of our lovebirds... as fate would have it, they're in the same Welcome Week group.

"Hey I'm Sean! What's up?"

"Nothing. I'm Bella."

Gritting my teeth, I greet this tall, goofy kid. He has a huge smile.

"Nice to meet you Bella!"

I watch as he continues to introduce himself to each of my peers, with the same introduction and smile... it's almost contagious, but I am steadfast in my loathing of these activities.

How could he be so happy? This is miserable! And he's always smiling.

I notice, as the week progresses, that my negative energy does anything but negate his attention. Being in the same dorm and several of the same classes, I find that his smile seems to appear everywhere (though I avoided it at all costs).

Most of our conversations were very one-sided (him attempting to talk to me), but I learned a number of things: he played baseball, drove a red Chevy Camaro, and was EXTREMELY extroverted.

However, I will admit, he was interesting. Accompanying his smile was a really good laugh, some decently funny jokes, and a really sharp mind.

The combination of his positive persistence and my increased interest incited change. I found myself talking with him after class on the campus walk to our dorm, grabbing lunch together, and eventually going out to dinners and watching movies.

Despite my assured promise of avoiding the 'friendship making' practices of welcome week, I found what I later would discover was my best friend. From talking about homework and school activities to God's plans for our future, I found someone who encouraged me to do anything and everything.

And he always did it with a smile.

I'll be the first to admit it - I never actually hated him. His goofy, never ceasing smile is what made me fall for him. It's what makes me fall more in love with him everyday.

Thank you, Welcome Week, for giving me a lifetime of smiles.

Every time I try to tell the story of how Bella and I met, it’s always met with an abrupt…

“Sean… that’s not how it happened!”

But hey… never let the truth get in the way of a good story, right?

Since Bella opted to tell the story of how we first met, I’m opting to share a different story!

Along with being in the same Millikin-infamous Welcome Week group, Bella and I were also in the same freshman seminar class, which, to my despair, was all about philosophy (spoiler alert: I STRUGGLED).

Bella, on the other hand, thrived, and I found myself listening to her answer question after question from our professor, Dr. Money.

My admiration was perceived as anything but, as I ended up getting questioned, “Sean… why do you always stare at me during class?”

“Uh, I was not staring!”

What I must have lacked in “game,” I must have made up for in persistence. Day after day, and class after class, I found myself becoming more and more attracted to her (while also learning the art of subtle glances).

I found every possible reason to be around, from participating in the MU Business Pitch Competition to late night Steak & Shake milkshake runs. The more layers I was able to peel back from the Bella-onion, the more I found myself hooked.

Without a doubt, I’ve found my best friend, the love of my life, the person that challenges me the most, and the person it’s worth doing it all for.

I guess it was worth sitting through that awful philosophy class (sorry Dr. Money)!