Forever Begins in Taormina.

Gavin and I technically met when we were three years old — in the same Mommy & Me gymnastics class. We don’t remember much from those days, just that we were in the same room, learning cartwheels and balance beams long before we knew what any of this would become. We grew up in the same school system, always just a little bit in each other’s orbit. In middle school, we even ran on the same cross country team. Same practices, same meets — still just passing by. It wasn’t until I saw him down the hallway at St. Thomas, while I was shadowing as a prospective student, that I really paused. I knew exactly who he was. For the first time, it felt different — less like coincidence and more like recognition. Then we both ended up in Mrs. Parent’s math class at Exeter High School, and that’s where everything truly began. What had always been background familiarity slowly turned into friendship, then something more. Looking back, it’s funny how many times our paths crossed before we realized we were meant to walk them together.