How We Met
Conor is from Ohio but moved to Ireland about 13 years ago. He moved to the small town I am from but we managed to never notice each other for years, despite mutual friend groups and classes together in school. When we were 16, seven years ago, we finally ended up talking at a friend’s party and somehow I fell for him and his dreadlocks and he fell for me despite my bleach blonde hair and ridiculous amount of eyeliner.
A few weeks later we decided to start dating. The one catch was we both knew he would be moving back to Ohio three months later, when he finished school. Unfortunately during this time his mother was diagnosed with cancer. Conor decided that he wanted to be with her through the treatment and so decided to stay in Ireland for college. As awful as the circumstances were it came with the silver lining that we got to continue to date each other.
how they asked
Fast forward six and a half years and his parents move back to Ohio and he goes there to do an internship for the summer while I stay in Ireland. Two very long months into his trip his dad calls me. He says he and his friends think Conor and his mam, Cheri really are missing me and he and some friends want to fly me over to surprise them both. The call was on a Monday and with my work schedule I had to go the next weekend or I wouldn’t be able to go at all. So the flights got booked on a Tuesday and come Friday morning I was on a flight to Columbus. So determined to keep it a surprise I told nobody other than my parents and my manager that I was leaving the country.
I met up with Conor’s sister to drop my bags and then go to surprise Conor who was with his brother, keeping him occupied. The plan was for them to go and see a movie and then we would meet them when they were done, but as with all things in my life my flight was late. To buy some more time Conor’s brother suggested they go for a wander around Hayden Falls, where Conor and I have been on a date every time we’ve visited Columbus. His brother says he needs to get something from his car and so leaves Conor down at the waterfall on his own. I then walk down to surprise him. On the way I have to stop to not interrupt a senior photo-shoot that is happening.
Every second of delay obviously making me more nervous, but I eventually get past them and walk up to Conor. He is surprised and so happy to see me but soon after tells me he is not actually surprised I’m there.
I immediately thought someone had spilled about my surprise and was pretty upset. He continues to tell me however that he planned it all start to finish to get me there. Every detail down to knowing I would have to go that weekend and lining that up with my best friend in Ohio being in town.
The next thing he is down on one knee asking me to spend my life with him as his friends “taking senior photos” snap some pictures of it all unfold.
