It was a busy St. Patrick's Day weekend in Washington, D.C. Johnny was having the time of his life with the boys, and Ren was meeting new friends in a new city—way out of her comfort zone. The bar was Sauf Haus, the music was blasting, the crowd was packed, and the beer was green.
While Ren waited for a drink, their eyes locked as Johnny made his way through the crowd to leave. In that moment, time truly stood still. To her surprise, Johnny kept walking—right past her—only to stop at the door, take a visibly deep breath, and turn around with determined steps straight back to Ren. He looked her in the eyes and said, "I'm sorry, but you are the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. I have to take you on a date. My name is Johnny."
After a quick exchange of numbers, a kiss on the cheek, and five minutes later, Johnny was dragged out the door (Hi, Nate!). But 20 minutes later, he texted Ren, asking when she was free. And then he asked again. And again. Until they set a date a few days later.
Shocker, that date happened at another bar, where they spent hours talking over glasses of whiskey—only for Ren to end the night saying, "There's no way this will work." with a giant smirk.
Spoiler alert: It worked.
What started as a slow burn turned into something undeniable. Over the past three years, we've built a hilarious friendship, leaned into love, and somehow still experience butterflies every day. We've found a shared love for music and dancing, making us the life of the party at concerts, dance halls, and anywhere with good tunes and enough space to spin around. Nature is our happy place, and a picnic by the water is still our idea of a dream date.
Even though we come from opposite ends of the country, we truly are the yin to each other’s yang, always finding joy in the little moments. Life is simply better together, and we can't wait to spend forever with our best friend.