Zola nudged us to tell our story. Many of you may know it, but we’ll take the nudge and put it on record here. It was early September, 2021, the last days of summer. Dan was riding high on life. After a 10 year detour in Jersey, Brooklyn had welcomed him back with open arms. He’d come for a fresh start. New faces, new perspectives, new lanes. Open to opportunities — professional, social, creative, and beyond — he crossed paths with Aneya, a local performer who ended up appointing him the Robin to her Batman as they toured the Brooklyn nightlife scene. Kat came to Brooklyn the same summer, taking a brave leap forward from pandemic-wreaked havoc. Like Dan (and so many in Brooklyn), she arrived with an open mind, an open heart, and a steadfast determination to steer her own ship. That summer she befriended Aneya at a camp gig, and when she started planning her own move out of Jersey, it turned out Aneya had a room she was looking to fill. September 3, 2021. House of Yes, an artsy venue world renowned for its spectacle and long shuttered for COVID, was now throwing its official Welcome Back party, complete with performers, aerialists, circus acts, and costumed revelers throughout. Aneya, working the show, had two comp tickets — offering one to her summer sidekick, the other to her new roommate. “Her name’s Kat, you’ll love her.” “His name’s Dan, you’ll love him.” Dan arrived at half past 11, ready for a fun night. The club was alive with “Welcome Back” energy, and the dance floor was filling in. Aneya gave Dan a meet spot for her break at midnight, stationed before a towering wall of colored tiles, shadow dancers making magic behind them. Dan spent some time puzzling out which dancer was Aneya, and narrowed it down to two before checking his phone and scanning the now electric dance floor. There she was. Swaying with the colored lights, flowing with the thumping beats, arms lost in the air, head down behind a mask. A ring of space around her, space she commanded without trying or even noticing. She was, and this is simply true, the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on, or ever would. If you’ve seen Big Fish, the circus scene depicts the moment well. It was midnight on the dot. Cue Aneya on break, taking a few minutes to make her way to the floor. She emerged at last, pointing at Dan, then at Kat, then back and forth — introducing the couple now soon to wed. And though Dan had cycled a thousand things he might say to make his existence known to the dancing queen, the spontaneous intro sent him retreating in shambles to the “bathroom" (aka bar) to gather his poise before he said something insane. Returning unfazed, the rest of the night launched a conversation that never ended — and has firm plans to carry on the rest of our years. Under club lights, over club speakers, we talked literature and movies and burlesque and gender wars and dirty jokes. Then moved the conversation to text. Then a date. Then everywhere life took us. And everywhere we took life. Over the past four years, we've launched creative projects, career moves, and cherished communities neither of us had dreamed of when we met. Running through it all, that same conversation hums along, a conversation that’s only just begun. That’s our story. Or at least our prologue. :)