How We Met
SARAH POV
We first met at an outreach event called "Come & See" for Christian Fellowship in the Spring of 2011.
To be perfectly honest, I don't really remember meeting June that night 😂All I remember is eating too much steak.
A few days later, my best friend Jack, showed me a picture of him and kept telling me what a good person June was
(it seemed very random but I just rolled with it) and I remember thinking that he looked like a cowboy in his picture.
Afterwards, I think he said hi to me at our school's Roth Regatta, a campus tradition of cardboard boat races, but I don't remember that so well either. I remember how dirty that Roth pond was though. I didn't see June again until the next semester of school.
I officially met June in September, the night after I was defeated by my first chemistry exam. I was contemplating a lot about life when Jack told me he knew someone who could help me. I was running unusually late that day, so I literally had to run to North library to meet this person! I must've looked crazy while apologizing because I was sweaty and exhausted (looking very unflattering), but June just smiled and said it was OK. He seemed like a nice person.
After that day... June tutored me in chemistry and we became inseparable friends fast. Both June & Jack visit me every weekend to help me with math homework (on their own volition!) and go on spontaneous ice cream trips together. We made so many good memories at "Smithtown Library" like watching scary movies, playing the guitar, and eating lots of amazing food. On Sundays, we'd all go to church together in Jack's car. Through these shared moments, June and I became closer as friends. We got to really know each other on an intimate level because we were surprisingly two very compatible people. Though I didn't realize it at the time, we really did seem to have 'chemistry' together!
Unbeknownst to me, my best friend June secretly harbored romantic feelings for me the whole time
How It All Started
Who Liked Who
June was my best friend, but he saw me as more than a best friend.
Apparently, it was obvious to everyone but me. In my defense, I was young, innocent, and incredibly tactless. Since he was much older than me (by 7 years!) I didn't even think of the possibility that he could be interested in me.
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Throughout the winter break, June and I would take late night walks regularly and talk about life. It was our thing.
We would joke around, ride our bikes, and explore the campus. I particularly liked playing "The Truth Game" in that phase of my life, so I feel like that game helped us get to know each other better. It also helped June become courageous and confess his feelings. After a friendly bike ride outside, we continued playing our truth game. After asking him all those times, he had never answered me, but I demanded to know who he liked.
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On January 4, 2012, I got a confession of love.
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At first, I thought he was joking but he looked very genuine. I was really flustered and in shock. Because it was so unexpected, I didn't know what to say. He told me the way he felt about me, the way I make him feel, and his sincerity COMPLETELY melted my heart. At one point, I became speechless (my head & heart were anything but!) and he was a little worried for me. I wasn't sure if he could sense my racing heart and jumbled thoughts, but he courageously offered his hand out to me. He asked me if I take his hand, it means we're officially day one. And in the end, I took it.
In that moment, I had no idea but I had just made the best decision of my life.
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FUN FACT: June confessed to me 100 days after the day we first met
The First Date
Our first (unofficial) date was when June escorted me see my first Broadway musical "The Phantom of the Opera."
It was an NYC trip with friends from our Christian Fellowship. I had no idea June secretly paid for my ticket and food because Jack had told me the event was going to be "taken care of by the group." After taking in the masterpiece that was MOMA in the morning, we watched the most beautiful musical of all at night. I've always wanted to watch "The Phantom of the Opera" since middle school and it had finally happened. I loved it so much I was watching it at the edge of my seat. But apparently, June fell asleep... We ate Halal on the streets of NYC afterwards and it was amazing. Jack drove us home and I still remember saying bye to Jack normally and saying bye to June very formally (and in Korean!) LOL
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Our actual first (official) date was us baking a cake together the day after June's confession.
We decided to celebrate our day one in a special and meaningful way. (Also, I was craving a cake!) I remember how much fun that day was teasing June. I pretended to forget the events of that night and the fact that we were dating and he was about to confess to me again!! We laughed so much and talked some more just as we had when we were best friends. Nothing had really changed, only the cake was even more delicious than usual.
