Jesse and Austin’s “Dating Chapter” began and ended much the same way: two kids overlooking the California coast, finding their other half a million miles from home.

After college, Austin (with everything he owned stuffed in his two-door hatchback) caravanned out to Los Angeles with his two best friends. No job was waiting for him. He didn’t have a place to live. And yet, he was happy, beaming at the possibility of new beginnings. 

Jesse, always the more practical of the pair, trekked to Los Angeles with a job in hand, a place on Ocean Avenue, and a dog that belonged by her side. Like Austin, she was eager to find her footing in a new city, ready for her own new chapter.

In the summer of 2020, amidst the pandemic chaos, Jesse and Austin found each other the Zillenial way: the ol’ reliable dating apps.

First, they matched on Hinge. Mustering up all the charisma he could, Austin’s opening line was deeply poetic: Your dog looks just like Scooby Doo. And if you think that hook was enough to keep Jesse’s attention, you’d be sorely mistaken. Despite all of this “charm” and a few messages back and forth, Jesse left him on “Read.” Austin struck out this time. 

That was until his profile popped up on Tinder, to which Jesse, forgetting their last conversation, swiped right and sent a quick, heart-melting message: omg you’re so cute.

With no intention of reminding her of his previous strikeout on Hinge, Austin tried to play it cool. He messaged back, fighting the butterflies rising in his chest. 3.4 miles away—Jesse was unknowingly doing the same.

Their first date was under the sprawling camphor trees in Palisades Park, sharing a park bench, overlooking the California coast, nervous to finally meet the person on the other side of the phone.

They laughed (a lot), talked over each other (a little), and fought the unmistakable feeling of finding themselves in another. 

Towards the end of the date, Jesse unleashed Tucker: the dog that had traveled all those miles by her side. Young and spry, Tucker launched himself at Austin, giving him a lick from ear to ear.

Soon, that first date turned into a second: hiking the windy trails at Will Rogers State Park. 

And that second date led to a third: sharing takeout spicy tuna rolls in Koreatown.

And that third date led to a fourth: a rainy day trip to Malibu, picking out water-soaked succulents. 

And now five years later, thousands of dates from that fateful day in Palisades Park, Jesse and Austin found themselves once again sharing a view of the California coast. They’d made their way to Santa Barbara, Jesse blind-folded and Austin leading the way, a ring box taking up all the space in his left pocket. 

With a smile and teary eyes, Austin asked her if she’d like to keep these dates going. Dates full of laughs, wrong turns, dog baths, and fighting Los Angeles traffic with the love of your life. 

Two kids who met a million miles from home. But now, together on the California coast, they knew home is always nearby, no matter where life takes them.

(Oh, and she said yes by the way.)