Love Stories Countdown to Valentine’s Day #10:
Ummm…don’t you WANT my number??

This is the meet-cute of my best friend, Michelle and her husband, Brian. N.B. I knew he was a keeper when she actually LET me meet him.

Picture the scene: Seattle, on a Saturday evening at a bar.

Brian was at the bar trying to get the bartender’s attention with no luck. Michelle comes sauntering by to place her own order when she notices Brian flailing a bit.

Michelle: Do you need any help getting the bartender?
Brian: No, I’ve got this.

5 minutes later….Michelle: Hey (to the bartender), you have customer (gesturing at Brian) here.

Then, Brian orders exactly what Michelle ordered, Hefeweisen, even though he hates it. They get to chatting. The friends Brian was with left the bar at midnight, and he just casually lets them go (even though they are his ride home). HAHA! Brian looks all sweet and innocent, but there’s definitely some cunning in that scientist brain of his!

Once Michelle realizes that Brian is strained she offers him a ride (probably just like he wanted her to, sneaky dude). She drops him off at home. I’m editorializing here, but I maintain he was in this combination of tipsy AND nervous being around Michelle – so he just got out of the car. Luckily, Michelle is a go-getter (like the awesome auditor she was):

Michelle: Aren’t you going to ask for my phone number??

And the rest, my friends, is history! I was a bridesmaid at her wedding. And just to prove to you what good friends we are, and how pushy former auditors can be, when Michelle said “I’m getting married!!”, my first response was “Congratulations! So, I’m going to be a bridesmaid, right??”

Michelle: Well, I wasn’t really planning on having any bridesmaid.
Me: No, you have to have bridesmaids. [Turns out Brian wanted 4 groomsmen, so Michelle had to wrestle up 4 bridesmaids]. And how’s this for audacious:

Me: Great, so I’m going to be your maid of honor, right???
Michelle: Ummm….well, I was going to have my high school best friend be the maid of honor.
Me: Yeah, but I’m super organized, I make decisions (like a good auditor should), and I would make a good speech.
Michelle: You have some good points.
Me: I know, right??

I didn’t get to be maid of honor, but Michelle basically divided up the maid of honor duties amongst the four of us. I DID get to give the “maid of honor” speech…and almost cried really badly. But, whatever, everyone was crying with me…because we were so happy for Michelle and Brian. <3

Love, February