It's March 2020 and the world has essentially shut down. People are panic-ordering toilet paper online or downloading TikTok for the first time, but for Ashley, she decided to give Bumble a try.... only lasting for 72 hours. Within that span, she matched with Mike. Dating at the time was limited to just "FaceTime Dates" and texting throughout the day, so all of the typical rules of regular dating were quickly thrown out the window. This unfortunately went on for almost 2.5 months without either of them ever meeting each other face-to-face. It took one day (and a few drinks in) for Ashley to casually invite Mike to hang out with her and her friend Mel for a socially distanced rooftop hangout (thinking he would never actually say yes). However, Mike did say yes, prompting the most unconventional "first date" ever. Instead of awkward small talk, Mike's first words to Ashley were "Hi, I feel like I know everything about you, nice to finally meet you!” Instead of a waiter asking if they would like another round of drinks, Mike & Ashley went to Costco to pick up food to grill with on the roof because most restaurants/bars were closed. Instead of "want to have a drink at my place?" Ashley thought "oh shit...NYC’s city-wide curfew started 15 minutes ago so there are no subways or Ubers available for Mike to go back home to Brooklyn. He’s going to have to spend the night…” A month after their first date, they hung out again, and from that day forward, they never stopped.

Following their first date and not having anywhere to go out (like the rest of us during 2020), Mike & Ashley regularly popped open a bottle of wine and ~really~ got to know each other. Oddly enough, this was the key to both of them growing their bond so quickly. They spent a lot of time soon after at their favorite neighborhood restaurant in Astoria, Trestle, which was conveniently down the block from Ashley’s apartment. It was there they met their favorite waiter, and now good friend, Achilleas. Unbeknownst to them, he would later have a very important part in their love story. Since then a lot has changed. The world has opened up again and allowed both of them to finally experience "normal couple things" like baseball games, long memorable nights out in NYC, meeting friends and family, and traveling the world together.

Ashley and Mike book a trip to the one place they’ve both always wanted to visit: Greece. Their first full day had them on their way to a beach-side bar on a scenic remote stretch of sand in Kefalonia. Before they even get there, Mike is already profusely sweating after slamming down a Greek cappuccino in 97*F weather. After Ashley asks him if everything is alright, Mike replies “oh yeah, I’m fine!” but in reality, he's quickly realizing that his plan to propose, which has been in the works for over four months, is about to become a reality. Remember Mike & Ashley’s aforementioned friend, Achilleas, from the early Dating Days section? Well, he would go on to help Mike execute that very same plan. One walk down the beach later, Mike takes Ashley's hands, drops to one knee, and says, "this is the easiest decision I’ve ever made in my life...will you marry me?" Ashley (already in tears) says yes and hiding behind the lifeguard stand is their friend Kyle who rushes out champagne while their trip videographer captures the entire moment both on the beach and from the air with a drone. They all run back to meet their friends who are all waiting with open arms to celebrate the rest of the trip with some of their favorite people in what quickly became their favorite place.