Submissions have been edited for length and clarity.
A Museum Meet-Cute
I was visiting Washington, D.C., and randomly decided to go to the National Gallery of Art. I caught myself looking at a girl, and she must have been looking at me, too. We both smiled at each other. Emboldened, I asked her to take a picture of me in front of a couple of Rothko paintings. That turned into a 15-minute conversation about where we went to college and graduate school, then more pictures, and then a trip to the botanical garden. What stood out to me is that meeting someone in person is so much better than meeting someone online. Our connection was instant and felt genuine. It also was unexpected — something missing from modern dating.
We are definitely still friends — we exchanged numbers and followed each other on Instagram — but I am not sure if I’ll ever see her again. If I am ever in her city, I’ll certainly text her, and I said, “If you ever find yourself in my neck of the woods, we should meet up.”
— Louis Shaheen, Columbus, Ohio
Falling in Love in Italy
For my birthday this year, I wanted to take a memoir-writing workshop in Assisi with Nancy Balbirer, the author of “Almost Romance,” which had helped me to heal from two devastating breakups back to back. On July 12, I sat next to a painting instructor. At the end of the meal, another participant asked if I was in a relationship or married, and in an effort to be funny, I declared, “No one wants to marry me.” I went to bed early, and the painter asked the other guests about me — they all agreed they saw something between us.
The next night, we weren’t sitting together, and she passed behind me at the end of the evening, lightly touched my shoulder and gave me a gentle nod. As soon as we were away from the group, she invited me to take a walk with her. That’s how it all started. Two days later, we were planning a romantic getaway at a beautiful Tuscan seaside property. By the end of the week, we had fallen in love.
Neither of us can believe it’s been only seven weeks. Since the time we spent together in Italy, we have gone on separate trips around Europe and gotten to know each other over the phone. She joined me in Vienna for the Eras Tour, which ended up being canceled. It’s a love story we know Taylor Swift would approve of, no doubt. We are going to see each other again for her birthday in September and her art show in New York City in October, and we will see what happens from there.
— Christine Sipple, Chattahoochee Hills, Ga.
