This is a shortened excerpt from Billy’s Book:

On Tuesdays and Thursdays after lunch I often saw Rebecca sitting on a bench outside the cafeteria with some friends. As I headed out of the cafeteria I told myself I’d talk to her if she was sitting outside on a bench. When I pushed the doors open, there she was, with four other women. Pressure rose in my chest, my heart rate doubled, and I tried to invent a reason for not going through with it.  But my body was moving in her direction, and then we made eye contact. If I veered away I’d never generate the nerve I needed. 

Walking towards the group, I did my best to look self-assured, confident. Should I address all five women, or just Rebecca? I said hi to everyone before I spoke directly to her. When we exchanged some pleasantries about how our summers had gone I told her about my time in Peru. Then I suggested that we hang out sometime and “catch up,” which felt stupid as soon as I said it. We weren’t old friends and had no need to catch up on anything. I’d set myself up to be publicly rejected. But she agreed. I handed her my phone so she could type in her number, said goodbye to the group, and walked away in a daze.

On our first date I took Rebecca to the book bar near campus. She looked stunning, and I was nervous. We talked for three hours without interruption. On our drive back to her apartment I asked her to plug in her phone and play some music, and the first song she picked was “Average Joe” by Kendrick Lamar—a niche rap song that I loved, and that only rap music fans with good taste cared about. Next came a blues-rock song by The White Stripes that I’d never heard but liked immediately. 

 After dropping Rebecca off I felt intensely happy. I was grateful for time spent with her, and the concept of falling in love made perfect sense—it really did feel like I was falling, whether I wanted to or not.

This is Billy and Rebecca writing together about the proposal for a wedding questionnaire:

Preface: Reb knew how it was going to happen, but Billy doesn't want to believe her. 

January 2023. We traveled to an island off of Maui called Lanai with Billy's best friend Dylan, and his fiancee Marina. In October 2022 Rebecca worked with Billy's dad, Ron, who owns a jewelry store, to design a custom ring. The ring got finished 5 days before the proposal after we'd already left for Maui. Billy's Dad had to overnight the ring to Dylan in Maui. Neither Billy nor Rebecca had seen the ring when Billy proposed because Dylan nervously hung onto the ring until 10 min before the proposal (and awkwardly handed it off to Billy). Billy knew Reb would be in detective mode and that she would find it if he had it. It feels strange writing in the third person but that's just how it has to be.

Nervous Billy's hands were sweaty as he took a knee and proposed at sunset. The birds sang and the shore broke and their love flowed through the island.

[Rebecca takes over the computer because she's upset with what Billy just wrote above]

Everyone in my family (including my dad who was also in Maui at the time) was in on the proposal and all the logistics except for me which I had FOMO about. But overall it was a really nice day and after the proposal we ended up having a great dinner with our friends!