On the morning of September 25, 2018, Kelly woke up in her childhood bedroom with a raging cold. It was rather unfortunate timing to be sick: Kelly's good pal, Julia, was hosting a surprise bash for her now-husband John in the city that afternoon. After much waffling, she bucked up, threw on a classic 2018 "darty fit" and made the hour long journey from Darien to Julia's Stuy Town abode.

Even in her ill state, she clocked Niall the second he walked into the apartment, John and his other Wesleyan friends in tow. He was incredibly cute. So cute, that she didn't even notice that he was wearing wrinkled sweatpants, after attending a very draining Ed Sheeran concert the night before. Following several looks of interest between the two of them, they flirted momentarily at the iconic sports bar Sidebar, and Kelly put the word out to Julia and the rest of the gals that if Niall were to ask her on a date, she would accept.

He texted her for the first time on Halloween. The date -- at Wilfie & Nell -- went very well, despite Niall's Novem-beard. And when he came to the Karczewski house for Kelly's birthday six months later, he got the seal of approval from the Karczewski crew (apart from Tommy, who was kind of a stickler at the time and was disturbed by Niall having a second beer at dinner).

When COVID hit, just over a very happy year into dating, Niall insisted that Kelly escape the city with him to his parents' house in Cape Cod. She declined, as she was secretly scared of Don and Lisa, whom she'd met only once before. But Niall refused to leave without her, and eventually, the thought of fighting New Yorkers over toilet paper was too great. A few days later, they were safe in Falmouth, and Kelly was already giggling over Niall's very cute baby pictures with Lisa, and dreaming up the cakes they would bake with all of their free time.

If the relationship of Kelly and Niall were a television show, the COVID era would be a peak season. Niall introduced Kelly to golf, where she learned a new definition of rage. Kelly introduced Niall to the world of Longnook Beach volleyball, which he is still very so-so on to this day (some people take it too seriously). And together, along with Lisa, they discovered Settlers of Catan, a game that will now be a family staple for years to come. It will also be a source of many tears and arguments due to alleged cheating.

The COVID era solidified something, and luckily, it was that they were meant for each other. It's been six years since their first meeting, so there are a few too many N&K eras to name, but here are some highlights: The Williamsburg era, where they attempted to become recognized regulars at a restaurant called Lamonte, but the owner never remembered them (they looked like every other gentrified Williamsburg couple). The building-the-Vermont-house era, where Kelly discovered a penchant for putting up insulation and Niall and his parents built the rest of the house from scratch. The First OG era, spent mostly at Niall's apartment at 88 Greenwich, cooking and laughing and hoping they'd get in the elevator with Niall's elderly neighbor so they could pet her enormous Mastiff. And, the Now era: Sunday mornings at the 90th street diner, Niall rushing Kelly home immediately after so she can use the bathroom. Falling asleep on the couch at 9pm while watching The Walking Dead. Kelly attempting to make Niall laugh while he tries his hardest to focus on answering emails. Niall checking Kelly's finger every day to make sure she hasn't yet misplaced her engagement ring. And the best part of every day -- cackling at TikToks in bed, until eventually, Niall falls asleep without his mouthguard on.

It is maybe not fair to say that fate played a role in the story of Niall and Kelly. We make decisions in moments that don't feel important -- answering a text message, going to a party even when we feel ill or down, taking a subway route we would not normally -- and most do not affect the course of our lives. It is a part of life to make meaningless decisions and never wonder what could have been had you made a different one.

But in this case, they will both always remember the threads that led to them to meet so many years ago. And for the purposes of this story, they are both okay chalking it up to fate. They cannot wait to celebrate together with you all in a few months. *celebrate emoji* *heart emoji*

Q + A

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