The first time we met was on New Years eve, 2016 – a night neither of us particularly wanted to be out for. Zoe had just dislocated her shoulder three days earlier while attempting snowboarding for the first time. Dressed in a sling and mildly loopy from pain medication, she was convinced to attend a house party. Meanwhile, Brian, not a fan of New Years Eve to begin with, had planned for a quiet night at home but was talked into going out. Fate–or rather, our persuasive friends–brought us both to that kitchen island in a condo on King Street. Brian wasted no time asking the important questions: "What music do you like?" "What’s it really like in Australia?" "Are the spiders really that big?" By the end of the night, Brian invited Zoe to join him at the Centennial Classic at BMO stadium (Maple Leafs won 5-4 against Detroit Red Wings), upgrading her to his premium seats while his friend got the unfortunate boot to the nosebleeds. We went on a few dates after that, but the spark fizzled, and life moved on. Fast forward to the summer of 2019 when a certain fling from the past slid into Zoes' DMs with a casual: “Do you want to play tennis sometime?” That simple message led to a string of new adventures – from tennis matches, dinner dates, bar crawls, apple picking, to driving ranges. A particularly vivid memory of a rainy date at the Aga Khan Museum, where Brian, ever the gentleman, grabbed an umbrella and led Zoe towards the gallery, soaking himself in the process. By this point, Zoe was absolutely smitten. But love, as always, had its own plans. Zoe had signed a contract to relocate to Los Angeles, their Summer fling would end by the Fall, and saying goodbye was heartbreaking. After a visit to LA, and attempts to forget each other, we reconnected just before the pandemic hit. As their friendship rekindled, and sparks started to fly, the world shut down...As fate would have it, Zoe lost her job and–plot twist–was deported. With two choices–return to Australia or go back to Toronto–she followed her heart. Brian was waiting for her at the airport, holding a sign with her name on it, and a dozen red roses. Zoe may have been a jobless, homeless, freeloader-ok, relax, it was only a couple of months-but somehow, Brian saw past all that. Since then we’ve spent five incredible years together, lived in four different homes, added a little fur baby - Bailey, B-Man, Big B - to the family, traveled to countless cities, and built a life and partnership filled with love, equality, respect, drive and adventure. And now, forever and always – where you go, I go.