It all started in August of 2020, in the fluorescent-lit aisles of Kohl’s, somewhere between the clearance racks and the fitting rooms. Riley was working her usual shift when Parker walked in, just another coworker at first, with no clue that he'd eventually become the person she would spend forever with.

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Our friend April was the mastermind behind it all. She must've seen something we didn’t yet, maybe it was the way Parker made people laugh or the way we somehow always ended up working the same shifts. Whatever it was, April played matchmaker and nudged us together, and thankfully, we listened.

 

Our first date was at Chili’s, because what better place to begin a love story than over chips, salsa, and an awkward-but-sweet first conversation? We clicked. We don’t remember exactly what we talked about, but we both remember smiling... a lot.

 

We followed that date up with a movie night, Inception, of all things. It’s funny now, because Riley absolutely hates sitting through movies, especially long ones that make you think too hard. But somehow, she made it through, probably because she was sitting next to him. Looking back, it’s funny to think that a shift at Kohl’s and a friend with good instincts led to this. We’ve come a long way since that first awkward Chili’s date and the too-long movie. And now, Riley gets to marry the guy who made even Inception bearable.