Nikki and Ryan

Ryan and I met in June 1996, in Santa Barbara, where we both worked together in a restaurant on the pier while attending college. We laughed, joked, sang, took lunch, went out together, counseled each other about our dating relationships and genuinely cared for each other. Although we managed to keep our distance romantically, we remained close friends for those three years.

Now this is where destiny comes into play. I moved away to Lake Tahoe and then Hawaii and lost touch with Ryan. This was back in the days when email was in its infancy and the web was non-existent. Basically we had no contact for three years. Me and my sister decided to travel to Europe before I attended law school.

We took the train from France to Italy. While we were changing trains in this extremely busy train station, I was waiting in line to purchase my tickets. I had been staring straight ahead, when I got the idea to turn around. Just as I did, I saw Ryan. I thought, “Oh my God! This can’t be!” Ryan was walking past me. We freaked out! We hugged and I screamed and was so excited to see him there. What are the chances of ever seeing an old friend on the other side of the world when you haven’t seen or heard from them in years?? This encounter was absolutely kismet.

Ryan was with an ex-girlfriend at the time. She was none-too-happy to see me and Ryan hitting it off like no time had passed since we saw each other. Anyhow, long story short, we exchanged email information, kept in touch and began dating four years after that encounter. I think Ryan’s line when we began dating was, “I’ve waited ten years for this moment.” This persuasive argument that won me over hook, line and sinker!