In January 2018, I was living in Charlotte and fully embracing single life. I was focused on myself, chasing personal goals, and falling in love with spin classes.

One day, Devin’s cousin Carla, who’s also been my longtime family friend, reached out to check in. I thought she was about to invite me over for one of our usual girl nights, but instead, she hit me with, “I have someone I want you to meet.” I immediately sighed and thought, “F***! How am I going to tell Carla I’m not interested in her cousin?” The mutual connection made ghosting impossible, so I came up with a plan: Devin lived in Atlanta, I lived in Charlotte—long-distance would never work. I could just blame it on the distance and move on.

Carla ended up connecting us via text, and before I knew it, Devin was suggesting we meet in person. Lucky for me, every single weekend he was free, I already had plans. I thought my “busy schedule” would be my out… but Devin persisted. After many consecutive “busy” weekends, he decided to drive to Charlotte on a Sunday for a “Business Meeting” and wanted to finally meet up after his “meeting.”

I agreed to go, but I had a plan. I was going to be my full, unfiltered self so I could just get through the date and ensure there wouldn’t be a second one. My plan backfired. Devin kept up with my energy like a pro, and what I thought would be one short date turned into an evening that naturally flowed into dinner— I was starting to like him.

When the date ended, Devin walked me to my car, and I braced myself for him to lean in for a kiss. Instead, he opened my car door, wished me goodnight, and sent me on my way. I was confused to say the least.

After our first date, we continued to communicate and quickly realized that staying apart wasn’t going to work. Weekend after weekend, we made the drive up and down I-85 until I eventually made the move to Atlanta in June of 2018.

7 years ago, I saw a magic trick that stuck with me.

A neatly shaven man, clad in navy suit and blue-striped tie stepped into a room, reached out and placed his palm against the palm of the woman who had agreed to be his subject that evening. He asked her to close her eyes.

The man asked her a series of questions, each one a little more personal, more incisive than the last. As she answered his final question, she slowly opened her eyes and with nervous confusion, asked the man, “What was all that for?”

“Well”, he began. “As you spoke and visualized yourself, was I there?”

“Yes. Yes you were…that’s odd”. The woman felt bewildered, slightly embarrassed. A man she hadn’t known had somehow imposed himself on her memory.

It’s said that a person’s favorite subject, regardless of what they tell you, is often themselves. You get them to talk about themselves – their past lives, their future aspirations – and like magic, they associate those deepest parts of themselves, with you.

Little did she know – It was she who was the magician, she who had cast her spell, and it was the man who had fallen so suddenly in love.

That man was me. That woman was Courtney.

7 years later, I remain spellbound.