Girl’s post on the internet has brought Boy & Girl to this

The First 18 Steps in a Relationship

1. December 2009 – Boy meets Girl, bearing a six-pack and wearing slippers, in her living room filled with thirty-nine other strangers, after he sees a post about Mac ‘n Cheese Minglers on an improv message board; he sticks around at the end of the evening and piques her interest with talk of BBQ and spreadsheets

2. January 8, 2010 – Girl has plans to stop by Boy’s improv show and then jet off to a friend’s moving away party; she stays four hours later than planned and doesn’t arrive in Bucktown till 1AM [note how she calls Boy a “new friend” in the post]

3. January 23, 2010 – Boy asks Girl to a neuroscience workshop and BBQ; they end up at neuroscience workshop and the Hungry Brain for drinks.  They have fun.  After a few hours, her contacts bother her, and she says, “My contacts are bothering me.  I should go home.”  Boy thinks Girl is making up an excuse.  He drives her home.  They sit awkwardly in his car for twenty-minutes.  Weird side hug.

[Girl finds out later that Boy felt deflated after contact comment and thought it meant Girl wasn’t interested.]

4. January 27, 2010 – Girl asks Boy to improv show.  Boy and Girl sit on couch post-show and share their lives.  Girl is clued into maybe this is a date after Boy rubs the same spot on her left calf for two hours.

5. January 29, 2010 – Boy in Wisconsin for bachelor party.  Girl texts him while out for drinks with a friend that the bar she’s at has Cribbage, a game they had just discussed.  Girl comes home to change before heading out for a friend’s birthday.  Boy texts her.  Flurry of texts back and forth.  Girl never makes it to birthday party, instead choosing to lay in bed, waiting for her phone to vibrate.  Boy admits he likes her and that he can’t help go against the advice he was given of not contacting Girl over the weekend.  Girl admits, to herself, that she likes Boy.

6. February 14, 2010 – Weird Valentine’s Day timing, early in the relationship, is it even a relationship?  What do you do?  Girl gives Boy a collage of inside jokes/photos, and a mix CD.  Boy gives Girl a vase filled with Fig Newtons [she loves them].

7. February 2010 – Boy installs a movie screen at Girl’s home.  Boy takes Girl out for her first sushi.

8. March 2010 – Boy and Girl throw a Taboo game night party, half her friends, half his friends.  Boy and Girl buy airline tickets to visit her friends in Amsterdam.  In July!  Girl falls asleep at dance rehearsal and Boy almost drives off the road en route to Peoria due to weeks of going to bed at 4, 5, 6AM.

9. May 2, 2010 – Boy meets Girl’s family.  Everyone loves Boy.

10. July 3, 2010 – Boy says “I love you.”  Girl says “I love egg mcmuffins.”

11. July 14 – July 28, 2010 – Boy and Girl go to Amsterdam, Bruges, and Paris, and have the time of their lives.

12. September 7, 2010 – Boy gives Girl key to his place.  Girl gives Boy key to her place a few weeks later.  Girl brings up living together at some point down the road, Boy agrees it’s a good idea, down the road.

13. October 1, 2010 – Girl meets Boy’s mom, when she comes to visit from Louisiana.

14. October 31, 2010 – Boy and Girl go to Mumford & Sons concert.  Best concert of their lives.

15. December 23, 2010 – Boy and Girl drive fourteen hours to Louisiana for Christmas.  Girl’s first time in the South. Eyeopening.

16. January 2011 – Boy and Girl embark on first professional collaboration, he improv teacher, she improv student.  It’s great.  They discuss future collaboration opportunities.

17. February 2011 – Girl says how about moving in end of May.  Boy says how about end of April.

18. March 11, 2011 – Girl reserves Uhaul for end of April.