Dating in COVID-19 was a little different. And had we known nobody would ghost, we probably would’ve written down the date we first started chatting. All we know is we couldn’t get vaccinated, so we talked. Constantly. Thankfully, Bryan’s job and Isaac’s dysfunctional body meant we both received early vaccines — we even used the vaccine cards at one point to pinpoint when we likely started dating!
Bryan suggested a first date at a speakeasy called Cobble Social House. (Highly recommend while you’re in town!) Following none of what he was taught growing up, Isaac agreed to meet at the entrance, which was in a dark alley. Isaac fidgeted with a pinky ring he was wearing the whole date, and at one point flung the ring across the cocktail lounge, banging it into a window loudly. Isaac insisted Bryan leave the $10 Amazon ring as forever lost. Bryan insisted it be found, embarrassing Isaac to no end with his flashlight. He found it. After the date, they talked in Bryan’s car for over four hours that night. The armed security in Isaac’s building seemed to be nervous they were lingering, given the events in the city recently.
Bryan couldn’t wait, so they met up again the next day before Bryan hopped a plane to Hawaii.
Dating in COVID-19 and constant riots was wild. The first time Bryan came to Isaac’s apartment, they made cocktails and watched a literal dumpster fire from the safety of Isaac’s roof. Perhaps not most peoples’ idea of romantic, but considering most people were still sequestered fully waiting on vaccine eligibility, they savored the moment to be on an in-person date — just the two of them (and Isaac’s armed building security perched on the rooftop).
Despite having talked for months, they’d only known each other IRL for a short time. Isaac refused to believe the feelings. True to his work, he researched love, reading countless academic studies on JSTOR hoping to find proof it was too soon. They all said the same thing: you know it when you feel it, and there is no statistically relevant timeframe. Like it or not, the data only supported that he was in deep in it.
Bryan first realized he was in love after a stressful day at work. He was dealing with a damaged/blocked airplane door. Normally he’d handle stress at work by taking a short break to listen to music, hit the gym, edit photos, or walk the hangars. That day, he instead scrolled through photos the two had taken together and found himself relaxed and calm again.
Despite better judgement and love of the city, Isaac moved into Bryan’s house in the suburbs — anything for love. They quickly turned it into a home together with dogs Mavie and Snoopy, including countless home renovation projects. Most of them started on a whim because someone said “you know what would look good…” — run if you hear those words.
Ahead of their anniversary date dinner, Bryan asked Isaac if he wanted to go for walk at the rose garden by the lake. This isn’t out of character, but something felt off. Isaac was ready for a proposal. They walked past dozens of influencers taking one for the ‘Gram, and nada. No ring. They left for dinner. No ring. After dinner Bryan suggested they return to the rose garden “since there’s still daylight left.” Isaac agreed, hopefully this was finally the moment. Nope. Turns out, Isaac’s gut was right; Bryan was trying to propose that night, but the influencer-to-intimacy ratio was wrong, so he aborted mission.
Wednesday night, Bryan asked Isaac on a date for Friday, but he didn’t put it on the calendar. This was all the red flag Isaac needed, as date nights always block the calendar so they aren’t de-prioritized. Bryan made plans that made Isaac question his gut all night. After a couple side quests, dinner turned into drinks at Cobble Social House — the site of their first date and a favorite spot for cocktails. Bryan did the thing with the ring, and the tables of strangers around them brought the hype. Prepared for exactly this moment, Isaac pulled out an Uno Reverse card, and the original accessory ring he’d accidentally chucked across Cobble Social House on their first date.
(It has become clear not everyone knows the rules to the game Uno: if served an Uno reverse, recipient must do what they just asked the server to do. Aka: Isaac asked Bryan to marry him, too.)
Get ready to party and celebrate with us!