We're getting married

We met on January 7, 2023, in Boracay. It was one of those days that felt pretty ordinary at the time, but looking back, it clearly wasn't. Neither of us went to the island expecting to meet anyone, let alone the person we'd come to believe was "The One," the one who'd change everything. But there was just something about that moment, maybe the easy conversation, the relaxed vibe, or just that quiet hunch you get when you've stumbled onto something good. Ayanna still remembers Aaron's Gudetama Universal Studios black shirt, his glasses, and the fact that his hair was still damp from either a shower or the ocean. And yeah, she gave him a hard time about wearing white shoes on a sandy beach - a detail that still gets a laugh. He had a cool confidence about him, a bit of the "Yakuza with a cute face" vibe, thanks to his tattoos, but his soft voice, charismatic demeanor, and respectful way of talking quickly revealed a different side. He was grounded and thoughtful, with a meticulous way of explaining things that’s both endearing and intelligent. He just genuinely made a person feel heard and understood. We talked for hours, covering everything from our lives as a college working student (Aya) and a Nuclear mechanic in Japan, to the military, to social injustices, and dilemmas. It was the kind of deep, unforced conversation you rarely get, a bit like the spontaneous dialogue in the 2000 movie Before Sunrise (Ayanna's favorite film btw). It was just a good night, feeling utterly right to be sitting there on that old log, the beach waves, and the chatter of everyone else around us blending into a blurry white noise. From that easygoing beachside meeting, something real started. It wasn't about grand gestures at first, but about building something solid across distance and time zones. Messages turned into months of getting to know each other, visits became major milestones, and before we knew it, we were figuring out how to build a life together across waters. 967 days, countless miles, and one heck of a journey later, we're finally saying "I do." And to think, it all kicked off on a beach in Boracay, long before the sun officially came up on our new life.

It happened over dinner at the tallest building in Metro Manila, one that Ayanna used to admire from rooftops while on the phone with him. That night, over good food and tearful conversations, we dreamt of the life we hoped to build. We didn’t take photos, just memories and messy, happy crying.