It started in Boston
Doug and Julie met in 2021 at a real estate brokerage in Boston, where Julie was one of Doug’s agents. It was not, by any means, the beginning of their great romance. At the time, Doug was simply her broker: the person who kept tabs on her, answered her questions, pushed her to be better when she needed it, and occasionally dealt with the fact that Julie didn’t always listen to him. She was a good agent. She was also not always an easy one.
But those years gave them something they didn’t fully appreciate at the time, the chance to really know each other.
Long before anything romantic developed, Doug knew how Julie’s mind worked, how she handled stress, what she cared about, and what made her laugh. He knew more about her than most people learn in the first few years of dating. He saw her at her best and at her worst, and somehow, he still liked her.
What Doug saw at her best was how much she cares. She may be small, but she has a huge heart. She’s fierce and will stand by her opinions, but she can still see when she’s wrong.
Julie got to know Doug, too. Not just how smart and capable he is, but how he shows up for the people he loves. He’s dependable in a way that makes people feel safe, the kind of person who’s there before anyone has to ask. While working with him, Julie came to trust and respect Doug as her boss, and also to count on him as her friend.
They started seeing each other in September of 2023.
The funny part is that Julie never really looked at Doug romantically while they worked together. He was just Doug. So when they first went out casually for drinks, she certainly wasn’t thinking about marriage, soulmates, or forever.
There was no lightning bolt moment when everything changed. It didn’t feel like the kind of relationship that catches fire like a match, burns brightly then disappears. In those moments it felt more like a campfire, the kind you build slowly, keep adding to, and somehow find yourself sitting next to long after.
What started as two young people working together became a friendship, then a romance, then love. The kind of love that feels like coming home. The kind that can handle hard things, a love that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.
