Once upon a time in Chicago, in the ancient era known as the 2010s, Erika and Charlie did something slightly unconventional: they made OkCupid profiles. This was back when online dating still felt like admitting you couldn't meet someone "the normal way"—which, in retrospect, is hilarious, because neither one of them would ever be mistaken for "normal." They messaged. They clicked. They discovered they both had a deep love for the works of Edgar Allan Poe, enjoyed dancing to dark wave music in dimly lit rooms with fancy drinks, and a shared belief that Halloween is not a holiday but a lifestyle. By the end of their first date, Charlie made Erika laugh so hard she choked on her drink, and Erika made Charlie realize he'd finally found someone who wouldn't judge him for his borderline obsessive board game collection. They've been pretty much inseparable ever since. Which is either true love or a mutual failure to find a good exit strategy. Either way, it stuck. Now they live every day like it's Halloween in Boulder, CO—candles burning, spooky playlists on rotation, and a Great Pyrenees named Brienne who is very tired of their nonsense.