How We Met

I like to think our love story is pretty storybook. I get excited when I think about how I met Dylan and how I’m SO glad I met him before Tinder and social media dating became such a norm.

We met at work when I was 18 and he was 26. Dylan was currently in a three year long relationship and living with his girlfriend, while I had been in one for a year and was also living with my girlfriend.
Working together played a huge role in the growth of our friendship and eventual relationship. I got hired at the Starbucks where Dylan worked and we were friendly immediately but not in a way where we felt pressure. It was natural. Relationships take a lot of work, even in the beginning, maybe especially in the beginning because you’re trying to learn how to be yourself while introducing this person into your life with full knowledge that you may be judged, or not be the right fit, or not like them, but we spent hours figuring that out at work before even having a first date. We were friends and got to know each other for at least six months before we started dating so by the time both of our current relationships fell apart we were already in love.
I pursued him first. My significant other and I had just broken up and I knew he was still in a relationship but honestly, I didn’t really care. I’d like to pretend I’m a better person than that but I’m not. I saw him and I claimed him because I wanted him and I’m not sure why more women aren’t like that.

Because Dylan lived with his current girlfriend/soon to be ex-girlfriend and I was very much not okay with the idea of him going to a shared living space with another woman and one bed, they fully broke up and he moved in with me almost immediately. I always tell people to never move in together too soon because Dylan and I both know that even after a year, or three with the wrong person and it’s a bad decision, but for us it just worked. It was beautiful and easy and somehow exactly what I needed. He made my life better, I loved loving him and working together had never been more fun (although I never wanted to go unless he was managing).
After a few months of being together, word slipped at work and apparently dating me was a  no-no so I got transferred to a different store. It was the first low point in our relationship, not working together was really upsetting for both of us but he drove me to work every day and it became our first hurdle we made it through. I quit not too long afterwards and after 7 months of being together and about the same of living together, I was pregnant with our Liam.

We aren’t perfect, most young couples who start too quick are dumb and don’t work out, but our Chinese stars aligned at that little island coffee shop and I am so thankful for it.