In December 2019, Andrew briefly popped into Ben’s Tinder radius while visiting family in North Carolina. Despite not meeting for a date before Andrew returned home to DC, they continued texting, discovering a love for the same artists and bands, a penchant for illustration, and friends that sounded, well, eerily similar at times.

The more they learned about each other, both were taken aback at how easily they could see themselves fitting into the other’s universe. On New Year’s Eve, Andrew texted Ben a picture of a balloon with a “2020” hat on it, captioned, “My date tonight. Kinda wish you were here. Is that weird?” It definitely was. But Ben wished the same anyway.

After a planned first date in March 2020 fell victim to a global lockdown, Ben and Andrew doubled down on their fledgeling connection. Stuck in their respective homes with only a phone between them, they navigated early pandemic life like so many of us did: apart but together.

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