As with most great stories, this one can be found in a library. Nicole was working the circulation desk at the University of Texas at Austin's research library the summer after her graduation in 2019. She wasn't even supposed to be working that day. Her employment with the library had actually come to a close upon graduation and, on the day in question, she was setting up an exhibit as an alumni independent researcher. But the librarian at the check-out counter had to run an errand and asked Nicole to fill in for just a moment. Max was about to enter the final year of his PhD and, as such, spent plenty of time in the library. Long before he decided to make a move, Max had spotted Nicole at the circulation desk. Enchanted, he made a plan to return a book in the coming days and talk to her. Little did he know, that might have been Nicole's last day officially working. He came back to the library several times, waiting for a chance. He actually let this book, a pivotal part of his plan, go overdue and start collecting fines while waiting to see Nicole again. So on this strange day, when she was not supposed to be working at all, Max was finally able to return his book. And after sharing a brief laugh about a miscommunication, he passed her a little note with his number and an invitation to coffee on it. And both parties promptly blushed, turned, and left the counter. Nicole, when she finally replied, had no intentions of making this into a date. It was just supposed to be a friendship coffee, set up for exactly a week from first meeting. But then they met up at the coffee shop, and spent 8 hours walking and talking together that day. They haven't stopped talking to each other since.