Zach and I met at Chasers, our shared favorite bar in Madison (RIP OG Chasers). We were each out with our own group of friends but ended up getting introduced because he knew one of the friends I was out with. I was really feeling myself that night and it must've rubbed off on him because he got my number. Later that night Zach, with the best intentions, reached out to see if Rachel and I wanted to come over for pizza because he ordered way too much for just himself. We declined since he was still mostly a stranger, but I should've known then that he was a man after my own heart.

The first time he asked me out was the next day, and I politely declined. I wasn't really looking for anything at that time. Later on, one of his friends ended up pursuing me as well. My brief involvement with said friend ended up bringing me back into Zach's social sphere, and although it made it a bit of a messy start for our relationship, I'm glad it happened so that I got a chance to get to know him. Once I started spending time around him, I just got this strange sense that I had been wrong in turning him down when he asked me out. We had natural chemistry, he made me laugh, and I just liked how I felt when I was with him.

I eventually made a move on him at Red Rock, our other shared favorite bar in Madison (RIP OG Red Rock), and shortly thereafter we had our first date. Fun fact: for our first date he cooked me aglio e oglio (spaghetti with garlic and olive oil) and suggested we watch Grease, which was the movie my parents watched on their first date. And here we are!