We were together. I forget the rest. -Walt Whitman

They were almost ships in the night. A mutual friend had set them up on a first date in San Francisco, when Drew flaked. Ashley received THAT 4PM text: “Do you still want to go out?” (He clearly did not know his girl — NOT a fan of last minute plans.) One year later — Fall 2016, they were to meet for lunch. First, Ashley tried to cancel, but Drew insisted on a quick lunch before she headed to the airport back to LA. They made it to the date! The sparks were there but there was no rush. They would take it slow and get to know each other. Little did she know, Drew would launch a stone-cold strategy play, involving seemingly random ‘check in’ phone calls every 5-7 days, over the next 2 months. When she most wanted and least expected, he would text or call, right on cue. (He would later reveal his master plan and secret weapon: weekly Google calendar reminders to keep Ashley engaged and on her toes. Diabolical.) After one courtside Warriors game, they made New Year’s plans. NYE 2017, Drew pulled out all the stops to host Ashley and her friends in SF. Wine-ing, dining, and corralling an epic group of key players to ring in a new era. Whatever test this was, he passed. By Spring 2018, Drew popped the Commitment Question: “Will you be my girlfriend?” By that point, Ashley suspected that she was in fact dealing with a cunning GCal-manipulating, long-distance captaining, tactical mastermind. She later found a note in Drew’s things — a checklist of his 2018 goals, the top of which read: ‘Girlfriend: Ashley Villa.’ The rest is a whirlwind vortex of adventures: from epic memories made with friends (DrewChella anyone); romantic trips to Europe in the summer and skiing in the winter (they LOVE to travel); Drew moving to LA; working towards their (now) dream home; neighborhood walks and couples’ tennis in the afternoons — to Drew declaring his ‘LOUE’ for Ashley (balloon mishap be damned) with a lust-worthy engagement ring during sunset in Tulum ... #ashleysaysidrew2021