Honestly, Subin always tells our love story so much better than I ever could. I remember being on DilMil and being burnt out from the process of swiping, getting to know someone, finding out we weren't compatible, unmatching them, and repeating. It felt so hopeless at times, and it made me question if I was even supposed to end up with anyone at all. It was a genuine question I would ask myself, and on a more vulnerable level, the question would sometimes even resemble the uglier insecurity of, "am I even worthy of being loved by a partner?" Out of these questions and these prayers, God had given me an answer in the most beautiful way—through a message from Subin on DilMil on June 20, 2022, asking me about my favorite boba flavor. I noticed right away that he was different. There was no ego behind the stories he would tell. This boy has both a master’s in biomedical engineering and theology and has never spoken twice about it. He perfectly models humility. Despite his own busy schedule of work, church, family obligations, he always made time for me. He would wake up early in the morning to call me on my way to work (which we have coined our CCs or “commute calls”) and stay up late into the night with me as I finish my notes. He is constantly by my side, even when he is not. He has never made me feel the long distance between us. I am even emboldened to say, he has always been present, aware of the happenings in my life, and always keeping an open line of communication. Through these actions early on, he showed me how much he valued me and our young relationship. This sense of security and this blanket of love is what drew me even closer to Subin. In our first few months of dating, Subin and I would plan out the most elaborate dates. I would create an itinerary of activities to fill every moment of our limited time together. We measured the success of our adventures and dates by how much we were able to do or see. I think this was our way of trying to compensate for all the date nights and life moments we missed out on because of long distance. Later on, Subs and I would have a conversation about how we feel like we miss out on the “mundane” or simple moments of life together when we focus on doing everything all at once. This was a beautiful turning point in our relationship as we focused on creating deeper bonds between us and finding joy in the often overlooked “mundane” parts of who we were. It was in these moments of simplicity, of cooking together, going to the carwash, going to church, watching (or learning) football, meeting each other's friends and family, that we got to see what a life together would look like most days. While we love our fancy date nights at James Beard Award winning restaurants and watching broadway musicals, the simple things are what actually diminished the distance between us and helped us grow. And eventually we did grow..in many ways (no one ever tells you about gaining the girlfriend 15). We started integrating into each other's family, and I gained so many wonderful siblings, grandparents, and the sweetest parents. Subs gained his #1 fans (Sheena and Shaji Kalayilparampil). We went on double dates with friends, we made plans for well into the future, and we knew this love was something special. Subin proposed after 11 months of dating, and while a pre-Subin version of me would have gasped at the timing, I could not picture it any other way. When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible. I cannot imagine a better brother to my siblings, a better son for my parents, and for me a life partner, soulmate and husband. God has given me my biggest blessing; the one who reminds me that I am worthy and that I am loved. I know this is sappy, and wordy, and not at all light hearted, but if you want a better story, please go read Subs' version <3

I’ve never really considered myself a lucky person. I’ve never won any prize giveaway contests, or money from the lottery, or been “caller number 10” for free sports tickets. So when I decided to download the DilMil dating app, I thought it would be much of the same luck I’ve always had — absolutely none. All I was planning on doing was just going through the motions of creating a profile, “swiping”, and attempting to talk to someone so that everyone around me would ease their “you’re old…you need to get married” comments for some time. To be honest, I didn’t really expect anything to come out of joining a dating app because of the numerous horror stories I've heard from others' experiences. Thank God, I was wrong! I created my profile on the dating app (with lots of help) on June 18, 2022. On June 19th, I swiped right and matched with a girl named Bella. On June 20th, Bella and I began a conversation that has carried on to this day. There are so many stories that speak to how amazing Bella is - just ask anyone who has spent 10 minutes talking to her. I remember after asking Bella to be my girlfriend, about 10 seconds after she said yes I dropped the bomb on her that I would actually be moving to Syracuse, NY for a new job a few weeks later 😅. This effectively changed our 5-hour drivable long distance relationship to become a long distance relationship that spanned 6 states, 16+ hours of driving distance, and over 1000+ miles between us. Not easy at all, and definitely not the way most people would want to start a relationship. I expected Bella’s reaction to be anger, doubt, and to almost immediately rethink saying 'yes' to dating me lol. But I was shocked that she responded calmly, and simply said, “This relationship is worth it. We’ll get through this, and we’ll get through it together.” I knew in that moment I had met someone who would change my life forever. Bella was the answer to my prayers (and the prayers of so many other people for me!). Our relationship began on a dating app with the “crucial question” about our favorite boba flavors, and along the way there’s been many questions that have helped me fall in love with Bella even more: What’s your favorite fish at the aquarium? Would you ever consider giving up peanut butter for me? Would you ever wear a Clemson jersey? Did you know I was a deacon in the church? Are you ok with dating a deacon? Do you want to join our family fantasy football league? ….Will you marry me? These and many more questions have led me to a beautiful, kind, selfless, and loving girl named Bella, who so quickly became my friend, my best friend, my confidante, the person I could be my truest self with, my biggest encourager, my greatest blessing, my fiancé, my soon to be wife and lifelong partner, and the one who I truly believe is “my rib”. I’ve never considered myself lucky; not until Bella entered my life. Now, every moment spent with Bella has made me realize I am the luckiest guy in the world. I've truly hit the jackpot. This is my side of the story, as much as I could have summarized it within this space. But it feels incomplete, only because I know our story is just starting to be written.