Like most modern couples, we met through online dating—specifically Facebook Dating, which is basically the digital equivalent of meeting someone behind a grocery store at dusk and hoping for the best. But then he appeared: a handsome smile paired with the bold claim that he could make “mean Filipino food.” I figured if he was lying, at least I’d get a good story out of it. If he was telling the truth, I’d get lumpia. Either way, I was intrigued. Our first date was at a climbing gym in Boulder, which was hilarious because neither of us had any business being ten feet in the air with no harness. While everyone else scaled walls like geckos, I sat on a bench slowly putting on rental shoes that felt like medieval torture devices. That’s when he walked over—shy smile, soft voice—and said, “You are so pretty…” I tried to play it cool, like I get complimented by adorable men in climbing gyms every day. “Thank you,” I replied, casually. But inside? Butterflies. A whole butterfly opera, honestly. Because behind that cute compliment were those genuine eyes and a heart so sincere it practically glowed. And in that moment—surrounded by chalk dust and surviving my lack of upper-body strength—I felt something warm, unexpected, and wonderfully real.