Erich and Nicole's story begins the way all great love stories should: at Thunderbird. Well, technically it was Nicole’s neighborhood bar first. Erich just eventually conquered it.

One Friday afternoon, mutual friends made the introduction in the back “locals’” corner. The conversation started with the thrilling common ground that they were both Jewish, then promptly went off the rails into whether Erich was Persian. (He isn’t.) Nicole, meanwhile, was busy giving their favorite bartender a hard time, and Erich, correctly reading the room, decided to sit that round out. The whole interaction lasted just a few minutes, and they both walked away assuming that was the beginning and the end of the story.

It wasn’t.

Less than a month later, despite almost never opening Hinge, Erich stumbled across Nicole’s profile. Convinced there was about a one percent chance anything would come of it, he swiped right anyway. They matched. Since neither of them was looking for a pen pal, especially Erich, who has never believed in endless texting, he skipped the small talk and suggested dinner and drinks at Wally’s in Santa Monica.

That first dinner turned into hours of conversation that never once felt like work. Over the next couple of months, they built something one date at a time, with Wally’s becoming their favorite spot and each date somehow better than the last. The only real interruption came when Nicole disappeared to Bali for what Erich still insists was three weeks. Nicole would like the record to reflect that it was ten days.

She came back at the end of the summer, and they picked up exactly where they’d left off. Their next date was the Hollywood Bowl for a screening of the Marvel Avengers films with a live orchestra under the stars. Somewhere between Iron Man and Endgame, Erich realized two things. First, Nicole didn’t just tolerate his Marvel obsession, she actually enjoyed it. Second, she was definitely not someone he was willing to let get away.

So, five dates in, and in what can only be described as an aggressively unromantic setting, Erich went for it. While unsuccessfully trying to flag down an Uber somewhere around Hollywood and Highland, a location that has never once appeared on anyone’s list of romantic landmarks, he asked Nicole to be his girlfriend.

Fortunately, Nicole was paying more attention to the question than the scenery.

Her answer was an easy yes.

Today, their relationship is built on friendship, laughter, a fierce love of family, and the freedom to be completely themselves, quirks, flaws, sarcasm, Marvel marathons, and all.