As freshmen at Miami University in Ohio, John Francis first spotted Amanda Sims at a dorm party, and asked her out on a picnic date. “I never took him seriously, but John really meant it,” Amanda says. In fact, he kept asking, but they remained just friends through graduation. After college, John went to grad school and Amanda moved to Chicago—but they reconnected two years later, when John also moved to the city. “I was at a party with friends from Miami, and I spotted someone I didn’t quite recognize on the other side of the roof,” she recalls. “I couldn’t believe it when I realized it was my old friend John!” Sparks flew that night—and John finally convinced Amanda to join him for a picnic.