Couple Feature: Kiki and PJ

Then-freshmen Kiki Ehrich and PJ Spencer sat at Spin Pizza, nervously eating a pepperoni pizza on their first date. The two made awkward small talk about their first days at East and their classes at school. Three years later, eating out at Chick-fil-A, spending time at each other’s houses watching their favorite movie Forrest Gump or going to parties with friends is routine.

The two have been dating for two-and-a-half years, but have known each other through mutual friends since they were in elementary school. In sixth grade, Ehrich and her friends Peter and Sarah Grimm had a glow-in-the-dark birthday party. Grimm invited Spencer, and the two met for the first time.

Although they weren’t close when they were younger, the couple got to know each other at the beginning of freshman year when Ehrich came to East and had choir with Spencer. They exchanged quiet “hi’s” during class, but that was the extent of their relationship until Spencer finally broke the ice by snapchatting her. Their friendship, and later relationship, skyrocketed from there, Spencer said.

The two spent around three months constantly talking and snapchatting each other before they started dating, said Erich.

Ehrich has always been outgoing, but Spencer was more reserved. He was excited and relieved to find someone with a bubbly personality that complemented his shyness.

“I was kind of a quiet kid freshman year,” Spencer said. “She liked to talk a lot, or at least I think so, she’d probably say different,” Spencer said. “It was nice not having to hold conversations that long on my own.”

Now, after almost three years of dating, Spencer confidently says he’s less shy. Ehrich has introduced him to many of her friends, which are now close friends of his as well.

Spencer enjoys tricking Ehrich and playing jokes on her whenever he can. He’ll tell her fake, elaborate stories that she often believes.

“She’s really gullible, I like messing with her,” Spencer said.

The two spend most of their date nights at the Chipotle in Prairie Village, or going to dinner and a movie at Standees. The couple also spends time with each other’s families, and every once in a while one of the two will come over for family dinners.

Both Spencer and Ehrich’s families love them as a couple.

“My parents like Kiki, and they just think it’s like healthy friendship more than anything,” Spencer said.

The couple sees no roadblocks in their near future, and hope to spend much more time together as a couple, and as best friends.