EMMA GRACE WRITES
Love Stories
Love stories explore the closest that two human beings can be; they exhibit the beautiful, wild, one-of-a-kind intertwining of two souls.
The Love Story of Aidan and Grace
Written Summer 2024
Note that this is a short excerpt from a larger nonfiction work. The full project is kept offline for client privacy purposes.
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September 21, 2019
The 21st night of September is well-known for its affiliation with Earth, Wind & Fire’s 1978 song “September.” The song must be magic or something, because people inexplicably love it no matter how many times it’s played on repeat - and no matter how stuck in your head it already is.
Then again, maybe it’s not the song that’s magic. Maybe it’s September 21st.
Of course, none of this occurred to Aidan Weis as he made his way over to Memorial Hall on September 21, 2019. Instead, he thought about his first few weeks at Baylor University - the start of classes, the new friends he’d made living in Martin Hall, and his odd roommate - a practically mute foreign exchange student named Xiang* who wouldn’t leave the cramped dorm room for anything but his classes.
Aidan trekked across campus that Saturday in the interest of friendship; Emma, a loud-mouthed girl from his English class, needed help with her student senate campaign. She was hoping to be elected as a Freshman Senator. Student government wasn’t something Aidan would be caught dead participating in, but he wanted to be a good friend to this girl - after all, she’d already helped him with some of their pointless class projects.
Fixing his glasses, Aidan trudged up the concrete steps and across the front porch of the Honors Residential College. He followed a girl in - since he lived in Martin, he didn’t have an active keycard for Memorial - and headed straight into the dormitory’s drawing room. Emma had a whole spread of poster-designing materials splayed out. Colored paper, markers, stickers, scissors, and tape littered the floor. A small group of Emma’s friends chatted amongst themselves, some scribbling slogans whilst others cut out photos for the posters.
Spotting him, Emma jumped up from her makeshift workspace. “Aidan!” She exclaimed, her hazel eyes gleaming. She rushed over to greet him. “Thanks so much for coming.”
“No problem.” He surveyed the room. “Where should I start?”
“Pick any poster you want! The only rule is we can’t use words like ‘Baylor’ or ‘sic em.’ You know, no Baylor-trademarked stuff.”
“Sounds good,” Aidan said, taking a seat on the ragged carpet.
Although he was willing to give it a shot, Aidan wasn’t naturally artistic. He was therefore unsurprised when an attempt to slice a poster in half resulted in a finger injury.
He waved Emma over with his uncut hand.
“Hey,” he said as she approached. “I cut my finger.”
“Oh,” Emma said, struggling to conceal a giggle. “There’s a bathroom down the hall, but if you need one, you can get a band-aid from my roommate. She’s got a bad cold, so she’s up in our room. It’s 246.”
She handed Aidan her keycard, and he took off up the stairs. He held his injured right hand atop his left to keep blood from dripping on the floor.
Emma had mentioned Grace - her roommate - before. Excitedly, she told him all about how close they’d been from the get go. She’d had more first-year roommate luck than Aidan by a long shot, but he was too good-natured to be jealous. Besides, he had some budding friendships himself - Xiang just wasn’t one of them.
As Aidan headed down the second floor hallway to Emma’s door, he prayed her roommate wouldn’t think he was a weirdo for showing up unannounced. Then again, he told himself, it would be par for the course for Emma to send a random man to their door. Perhaps Grace wouldn’t be so shocked.
He approached the room with a cheap plastic plaque reading “246” screwed into the wood. He knocked.
There were a few unnerving seconds of silence before the door creaked open. Behind it stood a dirty-blonde girl with ocean blue eyes. She appeared slightly dazed, her petite frame enveloped in an oversized dusty blue t-shirt with a faded bird in the center. Emma hadn’t lied; the girl was definitely sick, her nose rubbed raw and her eyes red and puffy. Aidan barely noticed, though. He was too distracted by the fact that she was pretty cute - well, and that he was still holding on to his own bloody finger.
“Hi,” she said, her voice soft. “How can I help you?”
“Hey,” he stammered. “Um, I’m Aidan. I’m a friend of Emma’s.” He would’ve reached out to shake her hand, but he figured dripping blood on her probably wouldn’t make for a good first impression. “I’m really sorry to just show up like this.”
The girl nodded. “It’s okay, she’s mentioned you before. I’m Grace.”
He held up his injured hand. “I cut my finger working on her posters.”
“Ah. Just one sec,” she said, leaving the door ajar as she shuffled across the room to her tiny closet. Feeling awkward waiting in the hall, Aidan stepped inside.
Grace’s face burned as she rummaged through the closet on her quest to find her stash of band-aids. Not only was she sick, but the room was a mess! The floor was littered with clothes, makeup, and hair clips, and school materials were haphazardly strewn across the furniture. How embarrassing, she thought.
Aidan didn’t notice any of that. He was too busy nursing his finger, trying to keep droplets of blood from spilling onto the girls’ fluffy white rug.
At last, Grace located the band-aids. She took one over to the dorky stranger that stood in the middle of her room.
“Okay,” she said. “Give me your finger.”
He held out his hand. She steadied it atop her own, carefully wrapping the band-aid over his skin.
Aidan hoped his hands weren’t too clammy.
Grace recognized the boy’s discomfort. He was thin, with short brown hair that curled up slightly in the front and blue-green eyes tucked behind dark-rimmed rectangle glasses. Although a little awkward, she found it kind of sweet that he came all the way up to their room just to get a band-aid for his cut. As a natural caretaker, Grace found joy in doing little things for others.
“There,” she said, satisfied.
Aidan admired her handiwork. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
The pair stood still for a moment, neither of them sure what to do next.
Aidan broke the silence. “So, you’re sick?” he offered, as if it wasn’t obvious.
“Yeah,” Grace nodded. As if on cue, she coughed into her arm.
“Do you have cough drops?” He asked.
“I’m sorry?”
“Cough drops. My mom swears by the Sambucol ones. I’ve got some back in my room in Martin.”
“Oh,” Grace said, her voice raspy now. “No. I’ve got some cold medicine but it doesn’t really seem to be working.”
“I’ll bring them to you.”
He said it as though he was making her an offer, but the look on his face showed it was non-negotiable.
“They’re good,” he assured her, a smile playing on his lips.
She grinned back softly. “I’m sure they are. Thanks.”
And that’s how Aidan Weis met Grace Cary.
________
October 2019
It wasn’t long before Aidan decided that he was interested in Grace.
Whether they liked it or not, Emma had determined that Grace and Aidan were going to be her best friends. Accordingly, she planned weekly study sessions with the pair, which were typically held on Sunday afternoons on the second or third floor landings of Moody Memorial Library.
This proved to be the perfect bonding opportunity for Aidan and Grace. Aidan went to the study sessions to spend time with Emma, sure; but he looked forward to them much more when he knew that Grace would be there. The amount of actual studying the group accomplished varied widely from week to week - sometimes they focused in, but they usually chatted and laughed about life instead.
One Sunday, God bestowed upon Aidan a rare chance to prove his protective capabilities to Grace. A cricket jumped onto the group’s study table (as it turns out, these bugs reproduce in menacing waves across Texas, ruining any semblance of safety the out-of-state students may have thought they could find indoors). Handling this nuisance was immediately assigned to Aidan. The girls were impressed when he successfully overcame the challenge.
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Aidan and Grace soon chatted one-on-one over coffees at a cozy bar in downtown Waco. Amidst dim lighting and trendy background music, they discussed everything from their childhoods to their classes. The pair discovered that, despite their attendance at a Baptist university, they were both raised Presbyterian. They decided that they’d go together to try out a few local Presbyterian churches. Both were still searching for their “home” church in Waco, and this denomination felt like a natural place to start.
Aidan and Grace were looking forward to the Sunday morning opportunities to get to know each other more. While the churchgoing excursions were sweet, they often became awkward. At one church, the pastor gave an in-depth sermon on the Song of Solomon on the day of Aidan and Grace’s visit. If you have any familiarity with this book of the Bible, there’s no elaboration needed as to why this resulted in discomfort for the boy-girl pair.
They also attended a church that turned out to be 90% composed of people over the age of 60. Ecstatic to see college students in the congregation, an ancient woman approached them during the passing of the collection plate. “What a lovely young couple!” She exclaimed, her cavernous wrinkles stretching into a wide grin. Neither Aidan nor Grace had the heart to correct her, so they instead both sat through the rest of the service red-faced and uncomfortable.
________
Early November 2019
Aidan soon determined he wasn’t waiting any longer to ask Grace out.
One night, the pair went to a late-night breakfast-for-dinner meal at Penland Dining Hall. They sat at a high-top table and chatted over waffles for a while, Aidan trying to gauge whether he’d have any success if he asked Grace out on an actual date.
Grace leaned towards him when she spoke, tendrils of her dirty blonde hair framing her face where they’d come loose from her ponytail. The little curls were mesmerizing, but Aidan was more entranced by her deep blue eyes. Grace had a joyful, carefreeness about her that was contagious; her smile was warm and natural, her words comforting. As a somewhat anxious person, Aidan was often plagued by obsessive thinking and nervousness. Grace was the polar opposite; she was the fountain of optimism that he needed in his life.
On the walk back to Memorial Hall, Aidan’s heart pounded. He had decided he was going to ask Grace out when he dropped her off at her dorm.
Should she say yes, he wondered where he might offer to take her for the date, but the excitement of that possibility was quickly eclipsed by the fear of rejection.
What if she says no? He thought anxiously.
Aidan forced the thought out of his mind as he and Grace made their way along the darkened path. They occasionally stepped into patches of luminance from the lights above until, finally, they approached the dormitory.
The pair climbed the steps to the front door. Reaching the patio, Aidan knew this was his chance. He took a deep breath.
“Grace,” he said. She turned to face him, her small frame silhouetted by the porch lights.
The look on her face was expectant.
“Would you like to go on a date with me?” The words felt as if they came from someone else’s mouth, but it was certainly his voice who’d spoken them.
Grace peered up at Aidan, a smile spreading across her face. She wrapped her arms around his neck in a warm embrace.
“Yes,” she said. “I would.”
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November 16, 2019
Aidan and Grace were blessed with beautiful weather for their first date. The Texan fall was in full force, a soft breeze rushing through the trees as Grace made her way across the Memorial Hall patio and down the sidewalk to Aidan’s car.
Grace was nervous. She’d never been on a date before. She’d borrowed one of Emma’s shirts and tried to do something cute with her hair. She didn’t want to make a huge deal out of the date, but this was significant. Your first ever date isn’t something you forget.
Aidan was a little nervous, too; but in his mind, this was ‘game time.’ This date was his opportunity; this date was his chance to get the girl he liked interested in sticking around.
Grace got in the car and Aidan took off for Cameron Park. Cameron was Waco’s biggest park, 416 acres complete with walking paths, benches, swing sets, a riverwalk - everything a park goer could ask for. In fact, the place even had its own zoo.
The pair rumbled under the I-35 bridge parallel to Baylor, the car bouncing over the countless potholes of Waco’s unending construction project. As they headed through downtown, Grace peered out the open window, enjoying the wind blowing in her hair and the comfort she felt around Aidan. The date had just begun, but she already felt relaxed and safe.
Aidan drove around the winding roads of Cameron, the sunlight and colorful leaves dancing overhead. He pulled into a parking area with a trailhead leading into the woods.
The two got out of the car, Grace watching confusedly as Aidan tugged his backpack from the back seat. He slung it over his shoulder and headed for the path with Grace close on his heels.
They chatted for a while as they circled along the trail. The forest smelled of autumn, a concoction created by rustling branches, falling leaves, and crisp air. Aidan and Grace eventually found themselves at Lover’s Leap, an area of the park that boasted covered picnic tables overlooking a baseball pavilion. Aidan and Grace sat at one of the wooden tables, peering out over the expansive sea of orange, brown, and yellow hues.
Aidan rested his backpack on the bench beside him. Unzipping it, he pulled out a bag of goldfish. Grace began to laugh as he reached back in and this time tugged out an entire loaf of bread and brand new jars of peanut butter and jelly. His third big reveal was a butter knife for making PB&Js on the spot.
Grace grinned. Instead of making the sandwiches ahead of time, Aidan had brought all the ingredients so they could prepare them together. It was dorky, but it was pretty darn cute, too.
Aidan caught Grace’s grin. He pushed up his glasses and tried to hide the smile playing on his lips.
They made their sandwiches while Aidan internally panicked about how long the date should go on. He was unsure of how much time Grace wanted to spend with him. While he was having a great time, he didn’t want to cut the date too short or drag it on too long and unintentionally send the wrong message to Grace. He just wanted her to be comfortable.
Aidan chose to ignore his worries and focus on Grace instead. The rest of the date was wonderful; they enjoyed their picnic lunch, got to know each other a little more, and enjoyed the cool November day.
When Aidan dropped Grace off at Memorial that afternoon, he couldn’t stop grinning. The day had been lovely, peaceful, and slow - a sweet first date that he desperately hoped wouldn’t be their last.
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December 2019
December 2019 was a blur. Until late their Junior year, December was the last month during which Aidan and Grace were romantically involved. It was a sweet month for them both.
In December, the Classical Ballet Society hosted their Nutcracker, a low-budget performance held on the slippery hardwood floor of the SUB. Emma and Aidan attended to support Grace, unsurprised to discover that she was by far the best dancer in the show. The others moved similarly to the toddler ballerinas you’d see at childhood recitals: they spun, jumped, and pliéed, but only sort of. Until Grace came on stage, Emma and Aidan struggled to refrain from laughing.
When it was finally Grace’s turn to dance, she was as incredible as a professional; she performed the waltz of the flowers beautifully, despite the obvious danger of the SUB flooring. Aidan was entranced by her movements, swept away as she gracefully floated about. From beside him, Emma grinned. Grace wasn’t just talented, but committed. It was as if the dance was second nature to her; something not that she had learned, but that was simply part of her.
Following the performance, the trio took photos in front of the SUB’s giant Christmas tree. They shuffled about in vain to prevent the twinkling lights from creating irreversible glares in their pictures.
That same month, Aidan found himself disproportionately stressed over what to give Grace for Christmas. He’d developed an extensive list of options on his phone, making it impossible for him to narrow it down to just one gift. With some assistance from Emma, though, he eventually decided on a sterling silver necklace bedazzled with light blue topaz gems.
Grace blushed when she opened her gift. A boy had never given her something so thoughtful - well, besides her brother and her father, which wasn’t quite the same. Grace gave Aidan a warm hug of gratitude, Emma rushing over to help put on her new jewelry.
Later that evening, after sitting on her bed chatting with Aidan for a while, Grace nervously leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. Aidan’s heart beat faster as he tried to stay still. He waited as long as he could, but his shoulder quickly grew numb, and he made what he’d later refer to as his “big mistake” - he sat up to readjust. Grace rapidly picked herself up and her head didn’t return to his shoulder until nearly three years later.
Aidan thought about that readjustment for a long, long time.
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When Aidan and Grace returned to Waco after Christmas break, they decided that neither of them were ready for a relationship. The pair didn’t quit going out on dates because of a blow-out fight or some kind of insurmountable difference. Frankly, it just wasn’t the right time. It wasn’t their time. God still had growing for them both to do first. While neither imagined that their change of status to “just friends” would ever be reversed back to romantically involved, it would. By junior year, they’d find their way back to one another, as those who are meant to be always do. By senior year, they’d both be sure they’d found their forever best friend.
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December 2021
By December 2021, two long years had passed since Aidan and Grace last dated. Though they weren’t nearly as close as before, the pair had kept in touch, even amidst a global pandemic, long distance summers, and the awkwardness of changing their status from dating to “just friends.”
But the gap between them steadily grew wider. It was just too difficult for them to hang out like they did during their freshman year. If Aidan spent too much time with Grace, he quickly redeveloped feelings; if Grace spent too much time with Aidan, she feared she’d give him the wrong impression and end up hurting him again.
Nonetheless, Grace missed Aidan deeply. Emma and Aidan had remained close friends, and by junior year, Grace found herself often wishing she could join them on their ice cream outings and evening hang-outs in Emma’s room at the girls’ shared apartment.
One such evening, with Emma and Aidan in the room next door, Grace cried as she relayed her feelings to God. Tucked under her covers, she prayed that someday she might be able to grow close to Aidan again. She asked that, if God wanted them together, He would blossom their relationship once more.
Aidan missed Grace, too. Over Christmas break, as he wound through the flat twists and turns of a Texas country road, the melody of Kolby Cooper’s “Cannonball” rang clear from his car speakers. When Kolby began to sing, the words seemed to melt in Aidan’s eardrums. One line especially struck him: “She ain’t getting more single.”
That was all Aidan needed to hear. He dashed home, picked up his cell phone and dialed Grace’s number.
From her house in Kansas, Grace was taken aback when his name appeared on her screen. A bit nervously, she answered the call.
“Hello?” She started.
“Hey,” Aidan replied. “Do you have a minute to talk?”
That’s when he told her everything he felt; he told her how much he missed being friends, how he wanted to be in her life again, how he was really sorry if he’d made things awkward. He told her how he wanted to start spending time together when school started back up. Although he couldn’t see it, Grace smiled wide from her room in Kansas.
She was so grateful for his call. It was a relief that he’d cleared the air. Grace would’ve reached out herself, but she felt like she couldn’t. It didn’t seem to be her place; she needed to know that he was really okay with being just friends if that’s how things worked out.
Grace admitted that she missed him, too; she missed the memories they’d made when they were together, the way he’d always made her laugh, and the peace she’d felt when she was with him.
They ended the call on good terms, both excited to see what was in store for them once they returned to campus in January.
________
July 24, 2022
Despite the optimism they’d developed over winter break, the spring semester didn’t turn out to be all sunshine and roses for Aidan and Grace. They tried to hang out more often, but the relationship was still a little awkward. Aidan feared that he’d bother Grace if he reached out too often, but Grace thought she should wait for Aidan to propose opportunities to hang out.
Whenever they did spend time together, Aidan was rather unsurprised to find that his old feelings for Grace were still there. He couldn’t spend time around her without wanting to be with her, and it’s torture to love someone who doesn’t feel the same.
What Aidan didn’t know was that Grace was starting to feel for him, too. Her curiosity about him steadily rose, intrigued by the possibility of the pair developing into something more than just friends. When summer rolled around, Grace masked her excitement in discovering that she, Emma, and Aidan would all be staying in Waco for the break. This would pave the way for her to spend more time with Aidan without forcing awkward one-on-one plans.
Her feelings had advanced considerably by July 24. On this particular warm summer evening, the trio planned to hang out. They grabbed teas from HTeaO before heading to Lake Waco to watch the sunset. Knowing that sunset watching was one of Grace’s favorite activities, Emma walked off with her spunky Shih Tzu, Ollie, to give Grace and Aidan some alone time. With their teas at their sides, the two sat beside each other in the grass, grateful for the warmth, the view, the long break from school, and - most of all - the company.
They watched in awe as the sky shimmered orange, then auburn, then pink. While the sun dipped below the rippling lake, Aidan reflected on the beauty of Grace’s hair in the waning light, her golden strands fluttering about with the soft evening breeze. Grace grinned at the sky, marveling at God’s artwork and the sweet servant of His who enjoyed it with her.
The trio soon headed home. They rolled down the car windows, filling the night sky with peaceful acoustic melodies and soaking in the joy of the fading summer day. Grace made out Ollie’s reflection in the rear view mirror, his tongue flying and his fur plastered back by the wind. His typical mischievous expression had been replaced by a lopsided, goofy grin.
They pulled into the complex’s garage and successfully rounded the 8 dangerous corners to Emma’s parking spot. As they made their way inside, Emma suggested they watch a movie.
“That’d be fun,” Grace smiled.
“Sounds good,” Aidan agreed. “What should we watch?”
“How about Titanic?” Emma suggested. “Grace said she’s been wanting to see it for forever.”
Aidan would’ve internally groaned, but he nodded instead. He was much less interested in the movie than he was in spending extra time with Grace. Even though Titanic wouldn’t have been his first choice, at least it had a really long run time.
“Perfect,” Grace replied. She shot Emma a sideways grin.
They reached the girls’ apartment and crowded into Emma’s room. Emma grabbed her laptop and scooted to the far end of her bed, allowing Aidan to sit on the other side and Grace to squeeze in between them. With all the strength his stubby little legs could muster, Ollie hopped up on the bed, made a few circles, and plopped down at Emma’s feet.
As the movie began, Grace started to feel the same way she had when she’d rested her head on Aidan’s shoulder over two and a half years prior. It was a mixture of nerves and excitement, a fluttering that grew more intense the longer she sat beside him.
Finally, she went for it. Taking a deep breath, she casually rested her head against Aidan’s arm.
He froze. Butterflies ran through Grace, and she prayed he wouldn’t jerk away.
He didn’t. Aidan sat perfectly still, afraid that if he moved, even in the slightest, she’d lift up her head for good like she had their freshman year.
Completely oblivious, Emma stared intently at her computer screen, watching a young Leonardo DiCaprio charm a poised Kate Winslet. Ollie was now fast asleep, his little body heaving as he breathed.
As the film went on, neither Aidan nor Grace budged, even though Aidan’s arm soon fell asleep and Grace’s neck cramped up from staying in the same position for too long. They remained perfectly still, their chests rising and falling in unison as Leo wrapped his arms around Kate at the bow of the Titanic.
________
August 17, 2022
In early August, Grace took a trip home to visit her family in Kansas. She and Aidan still hadn’t defined their relationship. It seemed to Grace that they were in some sort of a “talking” stage, but neither one of them had advanced the idea of dating yet. Plus, Grace wanted Aidan to be the one to ask her out, so she waited patiently for him to take the lead.
That didn’t stop her, however, from listing the summer’s updates to her father while she visited home. As they ran an errand together, Grace filled him in on the events that had transpired over the past few months and her unsurety of where she and Aidan now stood. Her dad turned to her with one of those warm, comforting smiles that only fathers can give.
“You know,” he said. “They write movies about stuff like this.”
Grace laughed lightheartedly, her face warming with joy. Even in the uncertain in-between, everything with Aidan felt right.
While Grace was away, Aidan missed her even more than he’d expected. He’d deeply enjoyed the time they’d spent together that summer, and he really wanted to ask her out. He just wasn’t sure whether she was ready to say yes. Even more frightening was the possibility that she would say yes, but it wouldn’t work out… again. He desperately didn’t want to go through that pain a second time.
Aidan decided to consult the only person who knew both himself and Grace well: Emma. So one night, while Grace was away, he accompanied Emma on her nightly trip to take Ollie out to the bathroom.
They strolled along in the dark, Ollie nothing more than a white blob of fur bounding through the grass beside them. Emma listened quietly as Aidan rambled on about how much he liked Grace, how he didn’t want to mess up their friendship again, and how he feared it wouldn’t work out, even if he went for it.
“Why don’t you just tell her how you feel?” Emma asked, her brow furrowed.
The pair took a seat on the dirty curb right outside of the parking garage, Emma’s little dog curling up in the grass beside her.
“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I just don’t want to ruin our friendship again. Plus, what if she doesn’t feel the same way?”
“Aidan,” Emma huffed, exasperated. “First off, I’m her best friend, and I’m telling you she’s interested. But even if I’m wrong, you’re about to be seniors! If it doesn’t work out, you’ll graduate in nine months and never see each other again. If it does work out, you’ll be so glad you went for it.”
He stared at the concrete. “Yeah,” he nodded. “I guess that’s true.”
“Plus,” Emma added, “if you don’t go for it, you’ll always be kicking yourself, wondering what could have been.”
That hit home. For the next few days, Aidan’s head was spinning as he questioned, self-bargained, and ultimately wound himself into a ball of stress.
But by August 17, when Grace returned from her visit home, Aidan had determined that he would take Emma’s advice.
However, he waited until the evening, wanting to reconnect with Grace first and make sure things felt right between them. Knowing her affinity for plants, Aidan took Grace to a Waco greenhouse, where they wandered about admiring the greenery for sale. After the greenhouse trip, Aidan dropped Grace off at her apartment. She had a school event to attend, but he agreed to return later that night so that they could spend more time together.
As promised, he came back, and for a while, the pair sat in Grace’s room watching The Office on her laptop. As an episode ended, Aidan reached over and pressed pause.
He knew that he had to try to be with her, even if it didn’t work out in the end.
“Look,” he breathed, turning to face her. “I have to tell you something.”
She stared back at him, her big blue eyes expectant. “Okay. What’s up?”
His heart beat faster.
“I like you. I mean, I still like you. I didn’t want to say anything because I don’t want to mess up our friendship again, but I can’t ignore how I feel, and I know we’re gonna graduate at the end of the year anyways.”
Grace listened patiently, fighting the urge to smile. She was giddy and anxious, but in a good way; his words were sweet, exciting, and scary, all at the same time. She nodded as he spoke, but she said very little.
This made Aidan’s nerves skyrocket. When he left later that evening, he was relieved that he’d gotten the truth off his chest, but he felt a little puzzled. Why hadn’t Grace said much in response? She didn’t seem opposed to the idea of going out again, but she didn’t say anything particularly reassuring, either.
What Aidan didn’t realize was that Grace really was excited about what he’d shared. She was interested in him, she was just apprehensive as well, terrified of hurting him like she had when she’d demoted them to “just friends” status back in 2019.
In fact, Grace was so overcome with emotion when he left that she cried tears of joy, excitement, and uncertainty. Although she sat alone beneath the twinkle lights strung about her room, she knew that God was with her, and she was ready for whatever plans He had to come.
________
September 10, 2022
Over the next few weeks, Aidan and Grace steadily grew more interested in each other. Just after the start of their senior year, they received a message from their church, Harris Creek, that they were required to attend life group leader training. The purpose of this training was to equip college student leaders to facilitate Christ-centered small groups during the academic year. The meeting typically took about two hours, but this year’s training was set for three, which Aidan, Grace, and Emma found somewhat odd.
The trio discovered soon after they arrived why the training was so long. The church leaders announced to the trainees that they’d all be going to Main Event for the evening to bowl, play games, and “bond” with their fellow leaders. At first, Aidan, Grace, and Emma groaned, annoyed at the apparent waste of their Saturday night. But once they arrived at the arcade, Aidan and Grace jumped right into playing games and soon found themselves having a good time together. It was the perfect low-stakes environment for them to compete, laugh, and get to know each other more. Although neither of them had planned it, the trip to Main Event felt like an unofficial first date for the pair.
Not long after their life group leader “training,” Aidan decided it was time to ask Grace out. The pair had been spending so much time together that it was as if they were already dating, but he knew it was important to officially ask her on a date. So one evening, as the two of them disappointedly watched the new Lord of the Rings show, Aidan worked up the courage. Grace’s head, which rested on his chest, seemed to rise and fall as he breathed. She stared at the screen with feigned interest, but she really thought about how comfortable she felt in Aidan’s arms: how he was exciting, secure, warm, and caring, all at the same time.
With his lips just above her ear, Aidan half-whispered, “We should probably go on a real date.”
Grace smiled at the television as Robert Aramayo appeared on-screen. “Yeah,” she agreed. “We probably should.”
On September 10, the pair went on their second first date. Grace slipped on a floral sundress, clasped a Kendra Scott necklace around her neck, and slid on her signature Nike Air Force knock-offs. She headed down the staircase of the View and pushed open the heavy back door. She braved the Texas heat as she crossed the sidewalk to Aidan’s truck. Reaching it, she pulled herself up into the bed and grinned at Aidan, who waited in the driver’s seat dressed in a navy-and-white patterned button-up. He smiled back at her, his eyes crinkling warmly behind his dark-rimmed glasses.
Once Grace was settled, Aidan took off for Milo’s, a modern up-scale restaurant in downtown Waco. On the drive, the pair listened to the playlists they’d curated for each other, enjoying the warm evening and the comfort of being together.
When Aidan and Grace arrived at the restaurant, they were directed to an inside table. One wall of the building was covered in floor-to-ceiling windows, giving the eatery a summery, open-air feel.
Neither party seemed nervous. Although Aidan and Grace were both excited to be on the date, they felt at ease with each other after the past few weeks of hanging out and the years of knowing one another. That feeling of comfort, however, didn’t stop Aidan from worrying that he’d make the date weird if he refused to eat the bean-like things littering his pork chop meal.
Although Aidan hated beans with a passion, he shoveled them down his throat to avoid making Grace feel awkward. Almost a year later, he’d learn from Grace that the “beans” had not in fact been beans at all, but lentils.
At any rate, the two enjoyed their dinner and conversation. Aidan found himself pleasantly distracted by how beautiful Grace was. She was all dressed up, her gentle features made more prominent by a touch of blush and mascara. When they spent time together, Aidan typically teased Grace in a flirtatious way; but that day, he couldn’t. There was nothing to tease; she was just too sweet, too lovely, and too authentic to pick on.
After dinner, Aidan and Grace headed across town to Waco’s TopGolf. During their mini golf game, their attention was diverted by the sudden splash of a teenager jumping hard into the course’s 12-inch deep decorative pond. The pair stood with their mouths ajar and their putters in hand, shocked to find the boy wasn’t hurt. Instead, he casually trudged through the pond, brushing excess water from his pants.
The pair glanced at each other. Locking eyes, they stifled a laugh.
________
October 19, 2022
After only a month of going on dates with Grace, Aidan was certain that he was ready to ask her to be his girlfriend. Grace knew the question was probably coming, but she balanced her excitement with an irrational fear that Aidan would suddenly get tired of seeing her. Grace’s friends reminded her, though, that Aidan had been interested in her for years, and he was likely just taking extra time to ensure that she’d be ready to say ‘yes.’
Following their classes on October 19, Aidan and Grace headed to Cameron to spend a relaxing afternoon together. Although they’d been to the park for their very first date nearly three years prior, this visit was noticeably different. For one, the pair chose a new location; they checked out Emmon’s Cliff, which boasted the multicolored autumn foliage of cedars and oaks and a gorgeous overlook of the Brazos River. More importantly, they were significantly more comfortable with each other than they’d been during their freshman year outing. The two shared Grace’s pink hammock, cuddling as they swayed in the fall breeze.
Aidan wasn’t too nervous to ask Grace if she’d be his girlfriend. He was primarily excited; after all that had happened between them over the past few years, he was overjoyed that they were finally ready to take the next step in their relationship. But Aidan wasn’t in a rush, either. He wanted the memory to be special; he wanted to soak in the day so he could remember the details for years to come.
While at the park, the pair rested together among the trees, enjoying the sporadic rain of brown, orange, and yellow hues. Grace pulled her flannel tighter around her as she rested her head on Aidan’s chest. She grinned up at the sky, grateful for the crisp fall air and the warmth of his body against her own. The cooling temperatures were a welcome relief from the overwhelming Texas summer heat. The fall reminded Grace of her home in Kansas and Aidan of his childhood in upstate New York.
The two could’ve stayed in that hammock all day if it weren’t for their stomachs, which eventually began to rumble with hunger. They packed up their things and headed back to the View, where they bustled about the kitchen preparing grilled cheeses and tomato soup: the perfect meal for a slow autumn day.
After Aidan and Grace enjoyed their food, they decided to spend the evening at Opus, Aidan’s apartment complex. As they drove across town, the sun dipped lazily behind Baylor, casting an orange glow across the sky. By the time they arrived at Opus, the sun had disappeared entirely, darkening the glowing fall palette to a sea of grey.
After greeting Aidan’s roommates in the kitchen, Grace followed Aidan up the stairs to his room. Aidan turned on his T.V., but he didn’t start a show. Instead, he pulled up Spotify, and slow acoustic songs poured through the speakers. He reached for Grace’s hand and began to lead her in a slow dance about the room. Smiling, she rested her head on his chest as they moved. With his arms around her, Grace was flooded with a sense of calm. She was comforted by the steady beating of his heart and the consistent pattern with which they moved. Aidan and Grace remained like that for a while, swaying back and forth, their flannels overlapping in a colorful sea of plaid.
A few songs in, Aidan took a step back and let go of Grace. Her heart skipped a beat at the sudden change.
Puzzled, she watched as he sauntered over to his closet.
Less than a minute later, he emerged with a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a card in the other, a goofy smile plastered to his face.
Grace’s confusion melted into joy. He’d planned his. For her. In an instant, Grace realized how much this young man really cared about her, and any of her remaining unsureties drifted away.
The pair sat down on Aidan’s bed. He placed the flowers beside him and handed Grace her card. She glanced up at him, grinning as she tore it open. The inside of the card was decorated with a question scribbled in Aidan’s messy handwriting.
Will you be my girlfriend?
As she tried to contain her excitement, Grace’s hands developed a slight tremor.
“Yes,” she nodded. She looked up at Aidan, locking her blue eyes with his own.
He reached over and gave Grace a long hug. In return, she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tight.
Neither Aidan nor Grace could stop smiling for the rest of the evening; in fact, they grinned so much that their faces ached when they laid down to sleep that night.
But they both felt the same way: the pain was so worth it.
________
January 10, 2023
The first three months that Aidan and Grace spent as an official couple were wonderful. They went on fun dates, hung out at each other’s apartments, and came to understand one another more deeply with each passing day. Since they’d been friends for so long, their feelings progressed rapidly; in a good way, these first few months were an emotional whirlwind for the pair.
Over Christmas break, Aidan traveled to Kansas to visit Grace and her family. Albeit unsurprising, the couple was relieved at the immediate liking that Grace’s family took to Aidan. He got along well with John, and Grace’s parents really appreciated his visit. They found him to be quite the gentleman, and they respected how lovingly he treated their only daughter.
Not only was everyone kind to Aidan, but Grace’s friends and family seemed to genuinely enjoy and welcome him. Aidan was impressed by the immense love that Grace’s family had for her. It reinforced that which he already knew; Grace was an incredibly sweet, caring person who meant the world to the people around her.
________
Summer 2023
The summer of 2023 was a wild one for Aidan and Grace. They both graduated from Baylor in May. Shortly thereafter, the couple took a trip to New York to visit Aidan’s grandmother.
After they flew to New York and successfully checked out their rental car, Aidan and Grace drove to Aidan’s grandmother’s house in the Catskill Mountains. Upon their arrival, the two were grateful to find a warm meal had already been prepared for them. They were, however, a bit confused when they saw that Aidan’s grandma had left an empty seat between them. The seating arrangement soon made sense, though, when she plopped down in the vacant chair, hoping to sit near them both.
A few days later, Aidan and his grandma decided to take Grace to Cooperstown to show her the Baseball Hall of Fame. However, as they headed home, Grace checked the map and discovered their navigation system wasn’t working properly. She quickly realized the group was traveling in the complete opposite direction of Aidan’s grandma’s.
With a heavy sigh, Aidan turned the car around and wound the pair back towards Cooperstown. Luckily, the group did eventually make it back to Aidan’s grandmother’s: even if it took an extra hour of driving to get there.
Despite some initial rainy days, Aidan and Grace were blessed with nice weather for most of their visit to New York. Eventually, the clouds cleared and they enjoyed sunny, 80-degree weather as they relaxed amidst the gorgeous mountains. The New York greenery stretched ahead as far as the eye could see, the thick trees boasting healthy summer foliage.
And, as he’d expected, Aidan’s grandma loved Grace.
When their Waco leases ended in August, the couple moved together to the Dallas area. Aidan accepted a job as an Operations Manager for a trucking company, and Grace started a program at SMU to become a licensed therapist. They found a good apartment complex, where Grace lived with her Baylor friend, Sarah,* and Aidan roomed with Sarah’s boyfriend, Nick.* The situation was perfect; Sarah was entering the same therapy program as Grace, and Nick had taken a position working at a bank. The four were bright-eyed recent college graduates, excited to spend an incredible first post-undergrad year together.
________
June 15, 2024
The academic year went far better than Aidan and Grace could have imagined. By early June 2024, the couple was ready for engagement.
Although Aidan wasn’t too fond of his trucking company job, the year he’d spent in Dallas alongside Grace had still been fun. Grace had enjoyed herself as well, working through the first year of her SMU program. Most importantly, the couple found themselves encouraged by their roommates. Nick* and Sarah* were also planning on an engagement in the near future. Aidan and Grace were grateful to grow alongside their friends as they all approached a new season of life.
Knowing that Aidan intended to pop the question soon, Grace was constantly suspicious.
But when the proposal finally happened, she never saw it coming.
Over the first few weeks of the month, Aidan mentioned to Grace that his mom recommended they try a new restaurant that had opened in Waco. He was insistent that they should try it out, claiming that the visit to Waco would make for a fun date night. While this would’ve raised proposal alarm bells for Grace, she was convinced that he wouldn’t propose on the weekend they chose to go. It was a busy weekend for her family in Kansas, with her parents and brother all at home assisting with the annual wheat harvest. She assumed Aidan wouldn’t propose when they weren’t available.
Boy, was she wrong.
On the morning of their Waco date, everything felt normal. Aidan picked up bagels for breakfast and came over to Grace’s apartment. She displayed to him a few dress options for the day. He obligingly helped her choose, but his demeanor was nonchalant.
After the pair had eaten, Aidan headed back to his room to change. He called his parents, throwing the phone on his bed as he riffled through his wide selection of button-ups.
His mom picked up.
“Today’s the day,” Aidan said. “I’m gonna ask her to marry me.”
On the other end of the line, Aidan’s mom called for his dad.
“That’s great news, but you seem off,” she replied to her son. “What’s going on?”
“Oh, I’m just not nervous,” he breathed. “Which makes me nervous. Shouldn’t I be anxious for this?”
His parents were silent for a few seconds.
“No,” his mom finally said. “Aidan, you’re not nervous because you know this is the right decision. You know this is the girl for you, and you know she’ll say yes. You don’t have to be nervous because you can be so confident in your choice.”
Realizing his mother was right, Aidan relaxed his shoulders. Grace was the girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with; and not only that, he was confident that she would make an incredible spouse. He was ready to take this step with her. Of course he wasn’t nervous - he’d never been so sure about a decision in his life.
“Thanks,” he replied, grateful. “Dad - don’t forget to send the fake restaurant text later.”
“I won’t,” he replied. “How could I?”
After wishing their son well, Aidan’s parents hung up. While they knew the next time they’d speak with their son he’d be a fiance, they weren’t anxious. They were truly excited for him and the sweet young woman he loved.
Grace was a little taken aback when Aidan returned to her room all dressed up. He wasn’t typically one to dress the least bit fancier than was absolutely necessary. Pretending to inspect him for a ring box, she gazed showily at his pockets. Laughing, Aidan brushed off her suspicions, claiming the sole purpose of his nice outfit was to look presentable for their date. After all, she was wearing a dress.
On the ninety-minute drive to Waco, Aidan turned on country music. Halfway through the drive, Cody Johnson’s “Diamond in My Pocket” began blaring through the speakers. Grace jokingly shot Aidan an “I’m on to you” expression, but he kept his cool as they drove along the flat highway to Waco, casually mouthing the lyrics as they went.
Aidan and Grace arrived in Waco early, hoping to spend a few hours revisiting their college town. They first headed over to Pinewood, an outdoorsy-feeling coffee shop complete with old records, greenery, and picnic tables. The couple grabbed coffees to-go and chatted on their way back to the car, reminiscing about their Baylor years.
For the first time that day, Aidan began to feel a bit nervous about the proposal. While he wasn’t concerned about the outcome or unsure in his decision to ask her, he wanted Grace to love it. He wanted the proposal to be special for her so that she could cherish it forever.
Aidan reminded himself that he, too, needed to stop and take it all in. He needed to calm down and enjoy every moment of the day. He’d only get to propose once.
After they finished their drinks, Aidan and Grace drove over to Baylor’s massive new Welcome Center, a titanic-esque building complete with modern glass pillars. They walked around the main area of the center, but the visit was brief; they soon headed back to the car so they’d be on time for their dinner reservation. As the couple walked across the expansive lot, though, Aidan received a text from “the restaurant.”
“Huh,” he said, his brow furrowing. “It says our reservation has been pushed back an hour.”
“What?” Grace asked, surprised.
“I know,” Aidan replied, shrugging. “I’m sorry. That’s so weird.”
“It’s okay.” She opened the car door and slid into the front seat.
“So,” he offered, joining her. “What should we do with our free hour?”
Grace thought about it for a moment.
“Fabled?” She suggested. Fabled was a cozy local bookshop and cafe that she’d missed while living in Dallas.
“Hmm.” Aidan crinkled his face in distaste.
“Okay,” Grace said, laughing. “Not Fabled. How about Cameron?”
Aidan perked up. “Yeah,” he said. “Let’s do that.”
He started the car and took off in the direction of the park.
Once they arrived, Aidan drove along the winding roads for a while. Due to the intense Texas summer heat and their nice outfits, the couple had opted for a drive rather than a hike. But as Aidan headed back down the twists and turns of Cameron, he surprised Grace by taking a sudden left into the Emmon’s Cliff lot.
He parked and turned to look at Grace. “Let’s go on a little walk.”
“Okay,” she said, puzzled. It was 100 degrees outside and he was dressed in full-length pants. Why on earth would he want to go on a walk?
But she didn’t complain. The pair got out of the car and sauntered around the viewing area, nearly melting under the sun’s rays. Aidan casually glanced off to the right, trying to locate the bouquet of flowers that he’d instructed his brother, Nathan, to place on the ground. The bouquet was intended to mark the spot where he should take Grace for the proposal. That way, Nathan could get clear photos from wherever he’d hid in the surrounding shrubbery.
Aidan located the flowers, but he instantly became anxious when he noticed an elderly man lounging on a bench right behind them. If he proposed now, not only would the man appear in the photos, but he’d also be able to hear every word the couple said.
Aidan tried to casually steer Grace back towards the car. Pulling out his phone, he texted Nathan frantically. There’s a dude sitting there! You gotta make him move!
Grace and Aidan got back in the car. Aidan tried not to stare at his phone as he awaited Nathan’s reply. While Grace checked her text messages, he peered through the windshield to find his brother, camera in tow, climbing out of a bush and shuffling toward the senior.
Nathan must’ve told him what was going on, because the man nodded, stood, and lumbered off. Aidan stifled a sigh as his brother’s slim frame dove back into the shrub.
“Hey,” Aidan said, nudging Grace. “We forgot to take a picture.”
“Huh?” Grace responded, incredulous. Aidan Weis was not one to go back out in the heat for a missed photo op.
“Yeah,” he pushed. “We should take a picture up here. It’s a good view.”
“Okay.” She grinned, hoping that perhaps her photo-loving tendencies were finally rubbing off on him.
Aidan led the way back towards the overlook. As the couple approached the bouquet, Grace grew more confused. Noticing the bright colors, she at first thought someone had stuck fake flowers in the ground. But as they drew nearer, she realized the flowers were certainly real - they’d been wrapped and placed neatly in a shaded spot atop the hill.
Grace’s heart began to pound as she realized what was happening.
Turning to face her, Aidan grabbed her phone and keys and tossed them out of the way. He clasped her hands in his own and led her toward the flowers.
Reaching them, Aidan stopped and gazed deep into Grace’s ocean eyes. While he’d stared at those eyes a million times before, they always took his breath away.
“Grace,” he said, shocked by the confidence in his own voice. “You’re my best friend. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Wide-eyed, Grace stared back at him with a huge smile on her face. She tried not to jump for joy as Aidan got down on one knee. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a sparkling emerald-cut ring.
She gasped.
He gazed up at her. “Will you marry me?”
Grace was overcome with a joy she’d never experienced before.
“Yes!” She exclaimed. She leaned down to his level, cupping his face in her hands. “Of course I will!”
Aidan stood and pulled her in, hugging her tight. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and she slipped hers around his neck in a warm embrace.
Grace suddenly noticed a soft clicking sound. She glanced to her left to find Aidan’s brother, crouched in a nearby bush, his face eclipsed by his camera.
“It’s okay, Nathan,” Aidan said, following Grace’s gaze. “You can come out now.”
Grace laughed as Aidan’s brother climbed out of the bush, wiping shrubbery from the front of his pants as he made his way over to the couple.
“Congrats!” He smiled.
As the pair reenacted the proposal for some posed photos, Aidan reflected on how strange it was that such a brief and simple moment would result in such a massive life change. Their lives would never be the same, and the transformation could be traced back to one decision.
But he also knew that this feeling was only an illusion, for there were years of thoughtfulness and care leading up to that pivotal moment. They had chosen to put one another’s needs above their own day after day, decision after decision, long before they decided to spend the rest of their lives together.
In other words, Aidan and Grace were meant to be - not because they loved each other in their own way, but because they loved one another in the way that God had loved them first. The couple was ready for a strong, joy-filled marriage, for they’d built their relationship on the most solid foundation of all: the teachings of their Creator, who is in Himself the very definition of love.
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*Names changed for privacy purposes