In the fall of 2019, Jane began her first, and I my third, year of our master's. Early in the semester, a group of new and current students, including Jane, had gathered in a circle outside of the graduate bar to make introductions. I arrived and grabbed a seat, and my friend introduced the new faces one by one. I gave polite nods and hellos until reaching Jane, at which point I stood up and gestured to her for a handshake. Flustered by my formality, we blushed while others seemed to laugh. I had been hoping to meet Jane but didn't mean to make it so obvious.

We had our first date in the Menil park, sitting in the grass fields where we would eventually take our dog, Walden, to run. Four years later, I proposed to Jane along the Hudson River in upstate New York in the company of our beloved pup.