Rob's Take

I was working at the Radford University help-desk (AKA the Technology Assistance Center) when Katie came in one day. I was already helping someone else, but I noticed Katie and thought she was cute. So I got the computer I was working on to a point where I could just let it sit and run on it's own and I checked the sign-in sheet to see when I thought "that cute girl" was about to come up. I strategically waited until the person just before her was called, then I called her over. While I was working on her laptop we got to talking; it turned out she was in to a lot of the same things that I was. She told me she was starting a new club at Radford for board games, and that the first interest/planning meeting would be held tomorrow. So I got the details on where and when the meeting was.

I already had some interest in board games, but I also saw this as an opportunity to get to know Katie more, so the next day I went to the meeting. It was pretty fun. The faculty sponsor and her went over what the club was about and how meetings would go, everyone (including me) who was interested gave Katie their e-mail, we then played a couple of games. After the meeting time had expired we packed everything up and Katie asked if anyone could help her take stuff back to her dorm. I was just about to offer to help when she said "oh never mind, [her male friend] will do it". I began to wonder if her friend was actually her boyfriend...

Over the next few weeks Katie would send out e-mails about impromptu get-togethers to play games. I kept missing the e-mails, so I sent Katie a reply saying that it would be easier if she could just text me. Being the smooth devil I am; I gave her my phone number. This would serve two purposes not only would I not miss meetings, but if she actually texted me, then I would have her phone number. Well she did!

Then winter break came and we didn't talk much, after the break we got together for games, after the meetings I would hang out with her friends. occasionally I would ask her to get lunch with me. Eventually I asked her out on a date, but me being an idiot, I neglected to mention that I intended it to be a date. This lead me to wondering the entire date if this was actually a date, or if she was just being nice. Eventually I guess we both decided that it definitely was a date and we've been together ever since.

Katie's Take

I met Robbie because I suck at technology. It was fall, my freshman year at Radford, and I was having difficulty connecting to the campus internet. So I went to the Technology Assistance Center (TAC) on campus hoping someone could help me. I walked in, put my name on the list, and waited.

Some guy called me up, began fiddling around with my laptop and quickly found the cause of my issues (which made me feel slightly foolish—this dude figured out in two seconds what I couldn’t all morning). While he was working, I started up a conversation. As many people know, I can probably talk for an entire day without running out of things to say, so it wasn’t that hard finding something to talk about with him. At the time, I was starting up a board gaming club on campus, and began talking about that.

Rob came to my board game club interest meeting, but after, we didn’t really see much of each other. Starting up the club was a slow process, but I would occasionally send out emails for impromptu game nights to keep interest going. Rob attended none of them. Eventually, I got an email from Rob saying he kept missing the game nights because he never checked his email enough. He then asked if I wouldn’t mind texting him about them instead, and left me his phone number (I later realized just how smooth that move was).

Rob and I began texting, and we quickly became friends. We would see each other at game nights, go out to eat with friends, or just hang around my dorm. I might have developed a slight crush at that point. Then, the more I hung out with him, the more I realized I enjoyed his company, and the slight crush turned into a real crush.

I am not great at dating. My friendliness is often misinterpreted at flirting, and my flirting is often misinterpreted as friendliness. I began subtly (or what I thought was subtle) dropping hints to Rob. I began analyzing every text, every conversation, every facial expression from him, trying to pick up clues to see if my feelings were reciprocated. The rest of it is a blur (probably blocked out of my memories due to embarrassment). I honestly don’t remember how we ended up dating, I might have just come out and said it, or Rob might have just taken pity on my pathetic attempts to woo him, but in the end, he asked me out.

Rob asked me out before I left for spring break. We went to dinner, and it was nice. I thought it was a date. I thought he thought it was a date. I thought we both thought it was a date. But when the waiter asked, “Are you guys on a date?” at the end of the meal, I immediately started second guessing everything. Both Rob and I looked at each other panicked, each of us wondering the same thing: ‘I thought this was a date. Is this not a date? Why is no one answering the question?’ After a few moments of silence, our waiter awkwardly slithered away, leaving the two of us in the weirdness alone.

Clearly, it was a date. Rob and I have now been together for over 5 years. I have loved getting to know him, and loved feeling our relationship develop from you’re-pretty-cool-ness into you’re-my-favorite-person-and-I-love-you-ness. We are so excited to start this new chapter of our lives and I know I have found the right person to share my life with.

Also, I’m less sucky with computers now, so that’s a perk. 😋