The things we do for love… I (Brian) had been working in the area for just about a year or so and was getting pretty comfortable with my new position and routine. Every morning, I would stop into the corner Starbucks that I passed on my way to the office and grab a cup of coffee. They say you never really know who will come into your life and when, you just have to be patient and keep both eyes open. Never did I imagine that stopping into a Starbucks would ultimately lead to me finding the person I was going to spend the rest of my life with. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the first time I saw her there. She was standing at the back of the cafe, waiting for the drink she had just ordered. She was beautiful! Long dark hair, brown eyes, and a smile that absolutely captivates. Good luck trying not to smile when you see that she’s smiling; it’s truly infectious. Admittedly and looking back, I probably stared longer than I should have, but don’t care and wouldn’t change a thing if I got to do it all over again. Over the next several days, I had a new found eagerness and excitement to keep going back to Starbucks on my way to work. Not for my comforting macchiato, but in hopes that I would see her there again. It went this way for about a week, where we passed one another a few times, either as she was arriving or I was going, and vice versa, giving each other the occasional smile or “good morning” in passing. Each time I saw her, it was like the first time. How else could I say it, I would see her in the morning and then the rest of my day was instantly better. But then one day, she stopped coming in. And she didn’t come in the next day, or the next, or for the next three weeks! What happened? Had she suddenly sworn off coffee? Changed her morning routine to come in earlier, later? Moved out of town, the country? With complete uncertainty, I could come to only one conclusion, that whatever the reason she was no longer coming in, I had ultimately missed my opportunity to actually introduce myself or get to know her. So, I did what I think most normal and reasonable guys would do…. I started coming to the coffee shop early and would wait there to see if she would return. I would park in the lot and wait for a little while before going in, hoping to see her pull up. Okay, okay, for the record, I only showed up 35 to 45 min. early to wait and I only did this 3 – 5 times total. Also, I would be checking work emails and getting some other work done while waiting, so technically I wasn’t only there waiting for her to come back. Again, the things we do for love… Then one day, after several weeks, she came back! I was sitting in my car and saw her drive up and park. She went into the shop and I immediately went in after her. No way was I going to let another chance go by without actually talking to her and introducing myself. When I got into the shop, I played it cool. Trying not to look like a guy who had been waiting in the parking lot hoping to see someone. I greeted the baristas, loudly enough so that she could hear, I had to make my presence known, of course. Then, I ordered my drink. Now I could wait at the end of the bar for my coffee, exactly where she was also waiting for her drink; my opportunity. She glanced over at me and gave a friendly smile. Only another smile back from me this time wouldn’t be enough; this time I wanted to meet her. I gathered myself just long enough to say “hello, how are you? haven’t seen you here for a while”. She said hi back and told me that she had been out of town for the holidays with her family. Fantastic! Didn’t swear off coffee and didn’t leave the country. We talked for a while as we waited for our drinks, then continued talking after getting our drinks and leaving the shop together. Just outside, I asked if I could maybe buy her a cup of coffee sometime or even take her out to dinner. She said absolutely and gave me her number to call. The rest, as they say, is history.