We're Getting Married!

I initially met Kaila in Chicago at a mutual friends' small gathering in June 2020. To be honest, I already heard a bit about her from my friend, Lena, who always felt like she was someone I should meet (but lived in Detroit). Finally having a chance, I was happy to see that she was in town. First, I asked if she would be my beer pong partner — to which she vehemently declined by saying, “Patrice is my only beer pong partner.” (Cue eye roll) Undeterred, I grabbed my friend, Courtney, to play against them instead. We lost by one cup (some weird technicality, but I won't say they cheated). Either way, I think she was impressed by almost losing to us. Throughout the night, I continued making conversation with as much eye contact as possible. We ended up talking into the wee hours until we were the last two guests at the party. Thinking that all of my attempts were SO obvious, I was surprised when she didn't ask for my phone number at the end of the night. I may have lingered just to be sure. But nope. The next day I followed her on Instagram (cause why not give it one more shot). She followed me back and that was that. Fast forward to March 2021, I was on the phone with my sister, Sonia, when Kaila slipped into my DMs. "Girl why she just like a coffee cup on my story out the blue." Mind you, in the months that we followed each other, she never liked a picture of mine, or commented on any post or story before. (Cause I would've noticed). I told Sonia how we met at a party last summer and while I didn't remember what we talked about, I remembered talking to her all night long. Once I responded (by liking her like) Kaila said she moved back to Chicago a few weeks prior, and expected to have seen me around by now. I agreed to make plans, but invited our mutual friends to join us, just in case. We met up later that week and immediately hit it off (again). Even though it took some time, I knew I fell in love with her the first night that we met.

We met in the summer of 2020 at a mutual friend gathering in Chicago. It was a small get together due to the COVID restrictions still in place. Normally, I’m in my bag at these types of parties, but I wasn’t in a position to look for a romantic connection. Brianna was asking to be my beer pong partner and was adamant about it as we went back and forth. I didn’t realize that she was flirting with me until my friend B pulled me aside and said, “Hey I think she’s trying to be your partner for a reason, I think she likes you”. I replied, “No…wait…you think so?” We went our separate ways that night, but I was hoping our paths would cross again next time I visited. Well, our paths didn’t cross until I moved back to Chicago a year later and reached out to her. You see, every time I would come in town I would be anxious with butterflies, thinking I would run into her again at another party. When I moved back and found out she wasn’t dating anyone serious, I knew I wanted to reach out to her. I was nervous to approach her on Instagram and was venting to my friends at brunch about it. My friend Chelsea said, “let me see her Instagram”, so I showed her. Chelsea took it upon herself to like a picture of a coffee cup Brie posted on her story and I panicked! Thinking she wouldn’t respond. But I knew I would ask her to hang out if she did respond (she replied two days later by the way). Although she made our very first time out together a double date, which she claims because she didn’t know me like that, I quickly knew my connection with her was different. Everything in me told me that I aligned with this person, and I wasted no time showing her that. I don’t take for granted that everyone will find their person in this life and I’m blessed to have mine.