It all started in the spring semester of 2022. We had mutual friends so we knew of each other, and Zach and I happened to have a class together. He sat in the row right in front of me, and every once in a while, when his computer screen would go dark, I’d catch him glancing back at me. I’d smile, thinking he’d get the hint and finally say hi… but he never did.

What Steph didn’t know was that I noticed her from day one. I wanted to talk to her so badly, but something about her confidence and her smile completely threw me off. I always tell her I didn’t say hi because I was too intimidated, and honestly, it’s true. Fast forward to the fall of 2022. I was sitting in my living room with my roommates when Steph’s vacation post popped up on my Instagram feed. I thought she was absolutely beautiful and told my roommates I wanted to make my move. They told me to DM her, but I said that wasn’t my style. I figured we were in similar majors, so maybe, just maybe, we’d end up in a class together again. The next day, fate must have been listening, because I walked into my first class of the semester and saw her sitting there. My heart dropped. I couldn’t believe it. There she was. Instead of playing it cool, I panicked and sat on the complete opposite side of the room. When the professor asked if anyone had done anything fun over the summer, I told the class I’d gone to Hawaii.

Then came our next class of the day, Derivatives. I was sitting with one seat open between me and one of Zach’s buddies. Zach walked in, saw me again, and decided to make his move. He asked if the seat was open, and I said, “No, go for it.”

That was my moment. I sat down next to her, and a few minutes later the teacher asked the same question about what we’d done over the summer. Steph elbowed me and whispered, “Your time to shine.” That’s when I knew she was different, she was funny, confident, and already teasing me like we’d known each other for years.

Two days later we had Derivatives again. Right before class started, our BeReals went off at the same time. I joked to Zach, “You should add me on BeReal.” And without missing a beat, he said, “I’d rather have your number.” He got my number that day, and a week later, we went on our first date.

What started with stolen glances across a classroom quickly turned into something real, something easy, fun, and full of laughter. Now, every time we tell the story, we laugh about those early days, about how he was “too intimidated” to say hi, and how I thought a smile would be enough. But deep down, we both know that everything unfolded exactly the way it was supposed to.

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