We met the classy way—in 2012, on a party bus. Headed to a concert in Downtown LA with our Whittier crew, we made an instant connection... and then did absolutely nothing about it for a few years. Classic. Instead, we became best friends and then roommates. (Yes, that kind of setup.) Somewhere around 2015, things started heating up… so naturally, we started secretly dating. We told absolutely no one. It was our little secret—though somehow, everyone now swears they “knew it all along.” In 2016, Deneka moved to Kansas City for work and we started doing long distance. (Great timing, right?) That year apart made us realize how much we missed each other, and little by little, we started letting the world in on our love story. By 2017, Charlton moved to Kansas City and that’s where our relationship truly bloomed. KC will always hold a special place in our hearts—it’s where we built our foundation, made a home, and probably ate an unhealthy amount of BBQ while becoming die-hard Chiefs fans. It's been a Love Story ever since.

After 8 years together (yes, eight!), Charlton pulled off the ultimate proposal! He popped the question at a #dreamy, private saltwater pool overlooking the ocean. It was romantic, thoughtful, and filled with all my favorite things... including Hot Cheetos. (He gets me.) Right after the big moment, he had a surprise engagement photo shoot ready to go—shot by the incredibly talented Jamie-Lee, of course! We wrapped it all up with a perfect beach day in Waikīkī, soaking in the sun, champagne, and probably some more Hot Cheetos.

Over the past 12+ years, we’ve shared so many unforgettable memories, late-night laughs, binge-watching our favorite shows, traveling near and far, moving to Kansas City (and back to LA), and somehow surviving 12 Coachella festivals together. From concerts and road trips to two cruises to the Bahamas, beach days, and even navigating life during the COVID lockdown, every adventure (big and small) has brought us closer. And we know… the best is still yet to come. Deneka's Favorite Memory I have so many great memories with Charlton, but one of my favorites happened when we lived in our Whittier apartment. Next door was an open grass field, and they were doing a bee removal. The bee worker warned us to seal all the windows and keep the doors shut so no bees would get inside. Charlton and I thought it would be brilliant to take an edible and watch a movie—what could go wrong? Well, we got super high and suddenly became hyper-vigilant bee-watchers, borderline panicking over every buzz. Sure enough, about two hours later, we hear a bee buzzing inside the apartment… then another… and another. Suddenly, we were trapped with 5-7 bees, not knowing how they got in. We were totally freaked but also laughing hysterically. We wrapped ourselves up head to toe, grabbed pots and pans, and were determined to herd the bees outside. For nearly an hour, we chased them around the apartment, laughing until we cried and desperately trying not to get stung. We were almost victorious... until the very last bee stung Charlton. We were dying laughing because we almost won the war against the bees!! Charlton's Favorite Memory I could honestly write a book with all the stories I have with Deneka, but one of my favorites is from a hiking adventure we had back in the day. It was a late afternoon, we randomly decided to get out of the house and go for a hike. We used to hike all the time, but usually in the morning… never this late. We were just vibing, talking about music, life, and cracking jokes (mostly me flirting with her). We were having such a good time that we completely missed our trail markers. One wrong turn turned into two… and before we knew it, we were 100% lost. The sun started setting, and we both looked at each other like, “Okay… this might be a problem.” Then came the coyote howls. And what we swear sounded like a snake. At one point I joked, “Well… if we die out here, at least we’re going out together!” That kind of snapped us back to reality. We got determined, pushed through bushes and branches then stumbled upon a family of three who were also lost. The five of us teamed up, speed-walked in random directions, until we finally saw the parking lot off in the distance. We all started cheering like we had survived two-days in the wilderness. I remember thinking, “Honestly? I wouldn’t mind getting lost with this girl again.” After that day, we agreed... morning hikes only. But that moment reminded me that even when we’re off-track or a little lost, we’ve got each other. And when we’re together, we always find our way back.