Akansha and Aryen’s story began in September 2022 at McMaster University, where they met while both pursuing their PhDs. What started as a simple group project quickly became something neither of them could have expected. Their first date was perhaps a little unconventional: a trip to Costco, followed by coffee and an afternoon browsing the bookshelves at Indigo. Somewhere between wandering the aisles, picking out books, and losing track of time talking, something clicked. Reading together and spending far too long in bookstores has remained one of their favourite ways to spend an afternoon ever since. From there, everything seemed to fall into place. There were new restaurants to discover, hikes to go on, board games to get overly competitive about, new hobbies to try, and plenty of reasons to make each other laugh. They quickly realized that some of the best moments were often the simplest ones — as long as they were together. Of course, falling in love has also meant adopting a few of each other’s passions along the way. Akansha successfully turned Aryen into a Buffalo Bills fan — and, somewhere along the way, a full-fledged member of Bills Mafia. Aryen, meanwhile, is still hard at work convincing Akansha that football should mean soccer and that supporting Inter Milan is an essential part of a well-rounded life. Progress is ongoing. Through all the laughter, adventures, books, games, meals, and Sunday sporting negotiations, they found something even more special: a best friend in one another. Over time, they became each other’s biggest supporter, favourite person to come home to, and the person they wanted beside them for all of life’s adventures — big and small. In July 2025, Aryen asked Akansha one very important question, beginning the next chapter of their story. And now, a few years and countless memories later, Akansha and Aryen cannot wait for everything still to come — more adventures, more books, more restaurants, many more debates over which kind of football is better, and, most importantly, a lifetime of experiencing it all side by side.