Our paths first crossed in high school, brought together by mutual friends. Though we saw each other in different spaces, there was never an opportunity to connect, and our interactions remained just that—passing glimpses. Time moved on, and we each went our separate ways, living different lives, never expecting that years later we’d find our paths crossing again. We connected on social media, nothing serious at first, just two people rekindling a spark of recognition from our past. It started casually—watching a couple of movies together, just friends, sharing jokes and moments. But life had its way of pulling us in different directions, and soon, we fell out of touch once more. The connection seemed to have slipped away, like a forgotten chapter in a book. Then, life threw us back together—this time through our shared love of sneakers and food. I remember asking him to bring me a red velvet donut from Doms, and without hesitation, he did. That simple gesture marked the start of something more—though we didn’t yet know the depth of it. From there, we kept in touch, exchanging messages about food, sneakers, and the little silly things that made us smile. It was light, it was fun, but still, it was nothing deep. Or so we thought. But then, something started to change. A little under a year before the pandemic, we began to build a stronger connection. A shared routine began to form, and with it came more than just casual conversation—it was a friendship that had grown into something meaningful. The pandemic came, and like everyone else, we faced the uncertainty and challenges it brought. But through it all, we found a comforting consistency in each other. We created a ritual of meals together, even from afar, and it became part of our story—our way of grounding ourselves in a world turned upside down. As I worked through my final year of college, he explored new interests, particularly in investing. Despite everything, we managed to stay connected. It was during this time that life pulled us even closer together—quite literally. I found a cute studio apartment in downtown Ypsilanti, and as it turns out, it was just a house away from his place. We couldn’t believe it. From there, something beautiful began to unfold. Our apartments became a path between two homes, with dinner dates and weekend cat-sitting becoming our new normal. Snowball fights turned into walks between houses, and even on the hardest days, we made the most of what life threw at us—whether it was eating on the porch during the height of COVID or simply enjoying each other’s company after long, tiring weeks. We never intended to build a life together, but somewhere along the way, we realized we had. We had become a unit, moving together, growing together, and finding that we functioned best as a team. Through it all, we filled the gaps in each other’s lives in ways we didn’t even know we needed. We've seen how life, fate, and even God’s hand have brought us together in ways that we couldn’t have imagined. Now, we can’t imagine this journey called life without each other. What started as a high school acquaintance has blossomed into a deep, unwavering love—one we never saw coming but now can’t imagine living without. As we take this next step, we’re excited to continue our story, hand in hand, sharing every adventure, every meal, every snowball fight, and every moment of this beautiful life together. Here’s to us. To love. To laughter. To everything we’ve already built, and everything still to come.