Our Story

Enemies to Lovers

Strangers

Anthony’s first night at Gold Bar Espresso was around 9:00 PM on a late September evening in 2017. He got one of the last seats available right next to the door. At the counter were two women, Sierra being one of them, who were strangers to him in his new coffee shop adventure. At that point, that is all they were. Just strangers. Fast forward, 6 months and this little coffee shop called Gold Bar Espresso became part of Anthony’s life. His habits changed and instead of making it there most evenings, the mornings were the new vogue. Every day, he was there talking to the owner, Karen, and getting to know most of the locals. At some point, Anthony joked, “Karen, I am starting a business and wouldn’t mind some extra spending money. Let me work nights!” They laughed away the morning, but one short month later, Anthony was asked to join the team. Thus, began his time as a Barista.

Enemies

Sierra worked mornings and Anthony worked nights so seeing each other was somewhat rare. The few times they did see each other, not much was said. Through another barista, Anthony heard that Sierra applied for a volleyball coaching job. To his knowledge, she had never seen a volleyball in her life, let alone had the ability to coach the game! This was the beginning of Anthony’s downfall. As he spoke to this other barista, she tried to tell him of his incorrect assumptions but to no avail. Unknown to him, Sierra’s entire life revolved around volleyball. Word got around of his lack of faith in Sierra’s abilities to lead a team. One day, Anthony came in and saw Sierra talking with the barista that he spoke with before. Needless to say, Sierra’s eyes were burning right through him. Sierra confronted Anthony about his lack of faith in her ability to coach volleyball, and his apology, although delivered forthwith, had minimal effect. As most of you may know, Sierra does not forgive and forget easily. The journey forward was rocky, at best.

Friends

Many months went by where Sierra and Anthony avoided each other, but slowly, the winds changed. They ended up working together one night, and for the first time in a while the two actually talked. Sierra and Anthony both realized in that moment that they had more in common than previously imagined. Fast forward a week, and Anthony was helping Sierra write ideas for one of her characters in a D&D campaign she was waging. This was the first time Sierra felt like there was a spark between the two. Some time after that, Anthony was invited to the housewarming party at the wonderful place they call home today. Through a simple mistake, and the words of others, these two lovebirds spent the first couple years of knowing each other hardly knowing each other at all. Mistakes were made. There is an old adage, “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago; the next best time is now.”

Lovers

Sierra said she knew we would be together months prior, but there is one day for Anthony that changed the relationship. He began helping her around the house on little projects. Nothing too intense. At the time, Anthony was living in an apartment, and it felt good to do some work in a backyard. One day, Sierra’s radiator cracked in her car, and to her surprise, Anthony knew how to work on cars. He agreed to help her change out the radiator on her Subaru, Lily. Rescue completed! (Funny side story: Jen told Sierra to make dinner for Anthony and keep him around. Sierra reluctantly bought dinner instead. Seems Jen had a premonition!) Something felt different. Anthony felt he was no longer someone that was just helping out because of friendship. He enjoyed being around her. They laughed together. They talked about deep and important subjects. Their personalities meshed. Sierra looked forward to seeing Anthony at Gold Bar and Anthony, somehow, always made time to be early for his shifts when she was working. At this point, they had seen the best and worst of each other and knew this was something special. One day, Sierra pulled Anthony to the back of the Gold Bar and SHANKED HIM IN THE THROAT yelling, “I AM THE MASTER COMMANDER”… oh wait, wrong story! Actually, she told him of her true feelings wishing to be more than just friends. Anthony agreed, happily!

On their First Year Anniversary, Anthony proposed to Sierra at a beach in San Clemente, California. In the intervening months, they began building their life together. Anthony moved in with Sierra and her cat, Artemis, and then Cardamom, their dog, joined the family. You are reading this coming up to our Second Anniversary, and ultimately the wedding. The seed was planted and the tree grows evermore. Thank you for spending time reading this tale of Enemies to Lovers and thank you for sharing this amazing experience with us!