It all started when I (Tara), was moving back home for the summer and I needed to transfer from my Gainesville Publix to one in my hometown. I tried to transfer at the Port Orange Publix, and they said they did not have a spot for me. I was not sure what to do because that was the only Publix I wanted to work at. My mom suggested for me to try the New Smyrna Beach 44 Publix, and I reluctantly did, hoping that they would not let me transfer. I walked in and was greeted by the customer service manager, Deanna. She told me I could transfer immediately and I could start as soon as possible. I was so upset and did not want to work at this Publix. I started my first day as a bagger and made a few friends. It was one of my first days when everyone was saying the Millers were back from vacation and I had no idea who the "Millers" were. I went about my normal day, and by the end of my shift, I noticed this random guy staring me down. I was bagging on register one and this guy was pushing a cleaning cart in a cashier's uniform, just blatantly staring at me. I was wondering what this guy's deal was. I tried to ignore him and it worked until the next day we worked together. He was cashiering and I was bagging, he was the only register available to bag for, so I reluctantly walked over and started bagging. He immediately introduced himself as Brandon and asked who I was. I told him my name and he asked where I went to school. From then on, the entire shift, we ignored every customer that came through our line and learned everything about each other. I didn't think anything of it, I was just happy to make a friend at my new job. By the next few shifts, this guy Brandon would not leave me alone, I thought he was funny and we always joked around, but I had a boyfriend at the time and I thought Brandon had a crush on me. There was a random Saturday where I was outside getting carts and I ran in to my friend Alexa. I proceeded to tell her that I was out getting carts to avoid this cashier whom I think likes me. She laughed and told me she would come through my line when she was done shopping. We walked in together and I look at the registers, Brandon's register was still the only one available. I looked at her and I said that's him, I have only been able to bag for him all day! She came through our line and we all joked around and she left. We ended up talking the entire shift again, and realized we had so much in common. As the days went on, we started to become closer and it seemed like we always had the same break. Taco Bell became our spot for our lunch breaks. Brandon went on vacation again and when he came back I remember I was cashiering on register one and he was further down on like five or six. I walked to the end of my register and I looked to my right and there was Brandon. We locked eyes and I could feel my face get red and butterflies in my stomach. I was so confused why this happened and I tried to ignore it. I went home that night after working, and thankfully my mom was still awake because I just started crying. I told her I felt horrible because I thought I had a crush on this Publix boy while I had a boyfriend. She told me it was normal and can happen, and that It's okay as long as I didn't act on it. (Later she tells me she said that to make me feel better and that wasn't normal). I tried to avoid Brandon and hang out with him less, and if we went on break, I made sure someone always came with us. Naturally, since I had a crush that I didn't want to admit that I had, I stalked him on Instagram. I came to find out that he also had a girlfriend that he had been dating for a while, and that this was all in my head. In August, school was starting back and I ended up signing a lease in Orlando. Brandon and I did not talk the entire time I was at school until my current boyfriend and I broke up for the first time. I came home and went to Publix with my mom in a super cute outfit (totally unintentional right). I ended up seeing Brandon, he gave me a hug, we had some small talk and then he told me he was about to have his break and invited me to eat, I turned him down to eat with my mom, and I still felt weird because as soon as I saw him I got those same butterflies. I was only in town for the weekend, I went back to school and my boyfriend and I ended up getting back together. I didn't see or talk to Brandon for a while. I tried to avoid him because I knew that I had a crush on him. My boyfriend and I ended up breaking up again... on Valentine's Day. I was a mess and then once I started to feel better, I started dating again. I started dating a guy I worked with, nothing super serious, but by this time is was almost summer and I was trying to get my Publix summer job back in New Smyrna. I was on a date with this guy when I got a call from Publix that I had to come home and work the next day to be able to stay as an active employee so I could work over summer. I ended up going home and Brandon was working. I was in the back room doing trainings, and Brandon came to the back to mess with me and I felt those same butterflies. All the guys from Publix were going to play basketball after work and they invited me, so I went because I wanted to see all my Publix friends, but I also wanted an excuse to hang out with Brandon too. I rode with Brandon and his Brother Logan. I watched them play and then we went to Wawa and Logan, Brandon, and I were all talking in the car, Logan was tired so Brandon drove me back to my car and I was about to leave, but we just kept talking. I am not sure how long we were talking, or what we were even talking about, but by this point, Logan was passed out in the back. I ended up calling the guy I was dating on my way home to end things with him because I had a crush on a guy that I needed to get over before I could date anyone. Fast forward to summer, I was home, working at Publix, Brandon was still dating his girlfriend, and I was trying to get over my crush. I was hanging out a lot with my Publix friends, and every time we hung out, I would always tell them to invite Brandon, but they said he never came. I always went and hung out hoping that he might come one day. He ended up coming two different nights, but I remember on night at Aj's house where we played the ring toss game outside and caught up with everything we missed in each other's lives. There was always this feeling between us, but I kept trying to ignore it because I knew he had a girlfriend. I ended up going with Brandon to Wendy's on our break and I remember he got me a Frosty and ordered me the chocolate vanilla swirl, and if you know me, I hate chocolate ice cream, but you better believe it was the best chocolate/vanilla frosty I ever had because he got it for me. On the way back to work, I jokingly made a big deal and said I liked someone at Publix. I told him it was someone that he was not the biggest fan of, and he about pulled the car over. I told him I was joking and then when we were almost back at work, he told me he always thought I had a crush on him. I was dying internally and I am not sure what came over me, but I owned it and said, yeah I used to like you, when I reality I still liked him. He ended up telling me later he used to have a slight crush on me too. Days went on and I was starting to actually give up the hope that I ever had a chance with him. I was at work and I remember I saw Brandon's name on the schedule because I always checked the schedule to see if we worked together. He didn't show up which wasn't like him so I ended up texting him asking where he was. He told me it was a long story and I just had a feeling that he and his girlfriend broke up. I, being who I am, continued to pry until he told me they broke up. Now, I felt bad because I knew he had to be devastated because they were dating for a long time, and that was his first love. It also was the best day of my life because my sliver of hope grew to a slice of hope. Most of you know the story, but it was awful. He ended up coming to work the next day, it was awful, I started crying because I felt so bad. I called my mom and she started crying because she felt bad, but she was also pumped because she was always team Brandon. I ended up spending my break making a care basket and I gave it to him. We worked the rest of the shift, he was in charge so he had me cleaning registers so he could talk to me the entire night. I'll never forget what he said to me that night when I was cleaning registers. He looked me dead in the eyes and said " I am going through a lot right now, but once I get over this I plan on dating you". When I tell you I died... We ended up hanging out as friends, and then eventually we started dating in August of 2018. He asked me to be his girlfriends by putting a note in a gummy bear bag because gummy bears are my favorite. Here we are now, engaged to be married in April!