We didn’t meet at a party or through friends—we met in that quiet little space between “maybe” and “send,” where hope is small, but brave. In 2022, our friends Ten and Alex nudged us both toward online dating, insisting we each give something new a real chance. So we did—without expectations, just a little curiosity. For a while, it felt like the odds weren’t on our side… until 11/4/2022, when one swipe turned into a message, and one simple question started everything. Our first date was the downtown Christmas tree lighting. We walked beneath the glow of the lights, talking and laughing as if we’d known each other longer than a night. It was effortless—warm, familiar, and somehow exactly right, like something that had been finding its way to us all along. On 10/28/2023, we were supposedly getting ready for one of Charves’ friend’s Halloween parties—or at least, that’s what he told me. I pulled up to his house around 8:30 p.m. He met me outside, smiled, and said, “Come in… I’m not quite ready yet.” The second I stepped through the door, I realized the night wasn’t what I expected at all. Instead of a party, Charves had created a date night just for us. The space was transformed—decorations set with intention, the table beautifully arranged for a romantic dinner, and music playing softly in the background… songs that had become ours over the time we’d been together. It felt intimate and thoughtful, like he’d turned the whole night into a love letter. And just when I thought I’d taken it all in, a private chef walked out. In that moment, I wasn’t thinking about Halloween anymore—I was thinking about how loved I felt, and how Charves always finds a way to make ordinary plans feel like something unforgettable. After dinner, Charves sat me down, and I honestly thought we were about to put on a movie and just melt into the rest of the night. But instead, he pressed play—and suddenly I was watching us. Photo after photo filled the screen: little moments, big moments, the in-between moments that somehow meant the most. Each one felt like a reminder of how far we’d come, and how much love had quietly been building the whole time. And then, at the end, Charves looked at me and said a line from one of my favorite movies, Brown Sugar—that moment when Dre shows up at the radio station and tells Sid, “I don’t want to be your friend no more.” My heart dropped in the best way. Then he asked, “Will you be my girlfriend?” Of course I yelled yes—and hugged him like I never wanted to let go. And then he opened a box. Inside was a heart-shaped necklace, engraved with a picture of us—like he’d found a way to turn a memory into something I could carry. I flipped it over and read the words on the back: “My Future.”

Every Christmas Eve since we met, we’ve kept a tradition that feels like it belongs only to us: we pick a playful competition, eat way too much, watch Christmas movies until midnight, and then open gifts like kids who can’t wait another second. On Christmas Eve 2024, Charves chose the competition—karaoke. And because karaoke is one of my favorite things in the world, I walked in convinced I had it in the bag. I went first and sang my heart out to Deborah Cox’s “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here.” Charves came right back with Jagged Edge’s “Promise”—one of my favorite songs—like he was trying to distract me with romance and nostalgia. So I raised the stakes and hit him with Tamar’s “Love and War,” and I knew—if anyone had been judging—I would’ve won. Before his last song, Charves said he wanted to reposition our phones so his performance would be “documented correctly.” I set my camera on the couch, and he placed his on the table behind me. Then the music started—Vedo’s “Forever.” When the lyrics reached, “All you gotta do is say yes, yes, yes,” Charves got down on one knee. I was still singing along, still caught up in the moment, not realizing he’d pulled out a small black box—light shining on the engagement ring I’ve always wanted. And then it finally hit me: he wasn’t performing. He was asking me to be his wife. I blurted out, “Are you F-ing kidding me?!” and everything after that was pure joy—screaming, shaking, running around the house, and nearly knocking him over as I threw my arms around him. In the middle of our silly little Christmas Eve tradition, Charves turned it into the sweetest “yes” of my life.