Some love stories begin with a chance meeting. Others begin with a high school crush — followed by thirty years of complete silence.

Jared James and Nicole Adele are delighted to announce their engagement after finally proving that while timing may not always be perfect, persistence apparently spans decades.

The two first met in high school while riding the MVHS school bus, where they perfected the ancient teenage art of pretending not to have a crush on one another. Both secretly looked forward to the moments when the bus would bounce just enough for their arms to accidentally brush together — a split second of physical contact that sent approximately 14,000 volts of adolescent excitement through both of them.

Neither ever worked up the nerve to say anything, proving once again that teenagers have always been spectacularly bad at romance. After graduation, they drifted apart for nearly 30 years before fate, modern technology, and just enough nostalgia decided enough was enough and brought them back together.

Jared is a soon-to-be-retired nuclear pharmacist who has spent his career handling radioactive materials with extraordinary precision. Friends occasionally refer to him as a “nuclear scientist,” a title he enthusiastically accepts while simultaneously glancing over his shoulder to see whether anyone is about to correct them. After decades of making medicine glow, he has decided retirement sounds significantly safer.

Nicole, internationally recognized (at least by Jared) as a master aesthetician and senior director of alpaca emotional support & llama conflict resolution, has dedicated her professional life to making grumpy humans, anxious alpacas, and chronically offended llamas look and feel their very best. Her groundbreaking work in fleece hydration, therapeutic facials, and diplomatic negotiations between livestock remains tragically overlooked by the scientific community — but is highly regarded by at least three alpacas and one unusually handsome goat.

Following the wedding, the newlyweds plan to leave the fast-paced world behind and retire to a sprawling Montana ranch, where they’ll devote themselves to raising championship chinchillas, exceptionally judgmental alpacas and free-range chickens with anger management issues. If that somehow falls through, they’ll reluctantly settle for a beach house in Hawaii.

Friends remain cautiously optimistic that at least one of these retirement plans will become reality.

The happy couple requests no gifts — only your company as they celebrate, proving that first loves sometimes deserve a second chance, even if it takes 30 years, a few wrong turns, and enough life experience to finally appreciate one another.

As for the future, they’ll both tell you that some things are absolutely worth waiting for ... especially if you’re Jared, who has always had a habit of running a little late.