A Modern Love Story: Meet Cute in COVID-19 Hotel Elevator

Photo Credit: Social Distancing Stickers

Last week, two students faced the terrifying reality of being exposed to COVID-19. This resulted in a nice, long vacation à la the Elon Hotel. Juniors Julia Lovelace and Ryan Cockland expected the worst, maybe a coughed-up lung, only to be met with a surprise of the lifetime: each other.

Lovelace, 20, received her positive COVID-19 test results after visiting her Meemaw in Westchester, New York. Cockland, 20, got the call after attending an illegal fraternity party that got shut down after two minutes.

“I had low expectations going into quarantine,” Cockland said. “No bros, no alcohol, no girls for so many days… It was going to be the challenge of a lifetime. Or so I thought.”

Walking into the hotel, Lovelace made her way into the elevator, when a hand jerked out to stop the door from closing.

“I saw a large, surgical-gloved hand appear,” said Lovelace. “And I don’t know why but something from above was telling me that whoever was waiting on the other side of that plasticy material was going to be important.”

After the two shared their moment, they were able to exchange Snapchats before heading to their respective rooms.

“I knew it was love at first sight from the slope of her cute nose poking through her mask,” Cockland states after-the-fact. “I’m not usually a romantic, given I’m a Sigma Mu Delta, but this was special.”

“We love the mystery. We even keep our masks on when we Snapchat from our respective quarantine rooms," Lovelace dreamily reiterates. “But I know Ryan has the best smile. I can tell by his eyes-- he’s always smizing.”

They also sneak love notes to one another on rolled up tissues (to make them look inconspicuous), stuffing them under the other’s door on their individual treks towards their daily 15-minutes of fresh air.

“I always make sure to spray perfume on my love-tissues before delivering them so that it's like I am in the room with him,” said Lovelace. “Even though we both lost our sense of smell.”

Other Elon students have taken notice of the couple as word of their romantic affair quickly spread around the hotel.

“It’s totally like the movie Five Feet Apart,” said another hotel-quarantined student. “Ryan is the Cole Sprouse to Julia’s Haley Lu. They even both have respiratory illnesses and everything. The rest of us COVID-hotel-singles are so jealous.”

Lovelace and Cockland’s love story still continues, as they wait eagerly for their 14-days to end so they can socially distance together.

However, the two have agreed to keeping the six-feet-apart rule even afterwards, working up towards taking off their masks around one another. But, both agreed they need more time before they get there.

“I trust her, but I don’t want to risk being without the bros again,” said Cockland.