“It was a rainy night. Laura was generously drinking for free at the bar she used to manage. It was her 23rd birthday. A very handsome man with a raincoat and backpack on, entered the bar following two of Laura’s regular bar customers. While the bar was transitioning from $20 cocktail special hour to $5 Long Island dance club time. Why was this raincoat man here? He and his backpack weren’t in this bar to dance. Like any other reasonable human being, Laura walked right up to the handsome raincoat-backpack man and put her index finger right in the middle of his chest, and asked what he was doing in the bar. Also like any other reasonable human being, he was confused and asked what Laura meant. Laura provided context to the question, as she often needs to do after asking questions. She elaborated that the raincoat man was not dressed as the other bar-goers. She pointed to the crowd of gyrating sequins and Hawaiian shirts and said “Well you obviously have no interest in this.” The handsome raincoat man replied, “Well I’m a grad student and I’m actually doing research” And they talked all night about human behavior and anthropology and all the science involved. The poor bar-back that Laura was sort-of-kind-of dating miserably watched Laura fall in love with this strange raincoat man. Then Laura offered cupcakes and pizza to everyone except Andrew, who, big surprise is raincoat man, but she still offered him a ride home. After she dropped him off she told him never to talk to her again. She’s really glad that didn’t work.”

“There are lots of things I love about you but the thing that I miss the most when you’re not around is your silly happiness, you find joy in the simplest things. And that’s not how anyone else in my life is, so the minute I’m not around you I want that silly happy joyousness that you bring to our lives.”

“I love how playfully grounding you are. No matter what we’re dealing with I feel like I can go forth and conquer because I have you in my corner. And you make me laugh when I feel like crumbling. We have our own language practically from all of our inside jokes. I love that you’re my best friend and my partner in everything.”

“Seeing each other’s genuine happy smile all day. And watching Laura’s dad cry while he officiates.”