The first time I met Abdul, we have to go all the way back to 2011, freshman year at UIC. I had moved in three days earlier because I worked for campus housing. One evening I returned to my floor and found it unusually loud. That’s when I met Abdul and the rest of our floormates for the very first time. Let’s just say… everyone quickly un-interested me after the brief hellos. But Abdul and I naturally became friends as floor mates, took a few classes together, and slowly grew closer. Back then, I was highly introverted. I didn’t really talk to anyone beyond shared classes and polite greetings. Our friendship didn’t truly bloom until after graduation, when he would walk me to the train and, somehow, we’d find ourselves randomly holding hands. That’s when Abdul quietly became my closest friend. Fast forward to 2019: Abdul had become the first person I called to celebrate with, to vent to, to cry to. I now consider myself slightly delusional because apparently everyone else saw what I didn’t - a budding love story. When did I realize I was falling for him? On our 2019 Europe trip with my sister and friend. We left as friends, but when we returned… something had changed. I began feeling jealous, staring a little too long into his gentle dark brown eyes framed by those long lashes. Noticing the soft crease in his cheekbones when he smiled. I told him I had a social battery limit for everyone, except him. I could spend all day with him and still miss him immediately. His presence became home. Butterflies turned into something much deeper. Little did I know he felt the same way. One night, we had “the talk”; a nine-hour overnight conversation that changed everything. On February 12, 2020, he officially asked me to be his girlfriend. And the rest is history. I’m still uncovering new layers of love with this man every day, and I can’t wait to keep leveling up together, because I’m no longer solo leveling.

Blessing and I met back in college. I had just moved into the dorms and was meeting a bunch of new faces. Then one evening, a few new friends and I were hanging out in the lounge area when she walked by. We locked eyes for a second as she shot straight to her room to study, which was always her reputation. A few days later a friend and I heard laughing through the hallways. It was coming from a room, and of course, being the intrusive guys we were, we went snooping to see who it was. Of course it was Blessing, studying and laughing out loud while watching My Wife and Kids on her laptop. We chatted for a while, connecting on her being West African, our upbringing and love for good shows. We progressively got closer, studying that year for Chemistry and bonding more. Of course, fast forward a few years, and we are inseparable, the best of friends. We go out to eat, have movie nights, meet each other’s family and grow our friendship. One year she invited me to join her in Europe on a trip she was taking with her friend and sister, so I came along. We bonded even more, discussing issues as we were both pretty fresh out of relationships, giving each other advice, and of course turning up together while we're hopping from country to country. She passed the vibe check. Once we got home it felt weird not seeing her every day, not spending as much time together as we kind of went back to our regular busy lives. It felt weird.. enough so that I began feeling empty. Listening to Miss you bad by Mr Eazi and going days feeling even more empty I started making it a priority to see her again, going over her home, hanging out more having silly dance sessions with her and her sister, continuing movie nights and being together, it filled the emptiness that I had. That’s when I knew I couldn’t continue living without her. So, one fateful night, we may have spent 6+ hours on the phone talking that night, and it just came out, I told her I loved her. Then I popped the question, that early morning on February 12th, would you be my girlfriend. Now here we are today, tying the knot and solidifying our love!