Love brought us here...

It all started on a warm evening in August, the week of my birthday, August 21, 2020- to be exact! A close high school friend of mine treated me to dinner in Brooklyn, Amarachi, a local favorite at the time. (Thanks Ericka) As we were parting ways, we were passing the Tillary Hotel when I bumped into a friend who is what many would call the "nightlife king". (Thanks Carlito) He invited us to a Friday Night Happy Hour on the roof he was hosting with a few others. I looked at her and she looked at me; we quickly decided to keep the celebration going, after all LEO's love to celebrate their birthdays! It was one of those nights during COVID, where it almost felt like the good old days, filled with good vibes and great company. Once on the roof, I saw another friend who had a table, and we ended up sharing it with them. A few minutes later Sharif walked up to the table, and we were introduced by what I didn't know was his mutual friend as well. (Thanks Dre!) Sharif ended up at the party to celebrate the distribution of scholarships to deserving youth. It was one of those rare moments that he took time out of his busy life selling real estate and being a hands-on dad and family guy. Lucky me! From the moment we started talking, there was an undeniable connection—or at least, I thought so! As the night wound down and Sharif prepared to leave, he casually said, "It was great meeting you. Hope to see you around sometime." And just like that, he was about to walk out of my life forever. I'm a true ‘90s girl at heart and always believed in old-school romance—where men made the first move. But without even realizing it, I guess I made the first move; something I never did. I simply asked, "How’s that going to happen?" At that moment, Sharif said he realized that he could walk through that door. He's thinking, "Wow... I can't believe it... I got Bagged by a Beauty". He loves to tell everyone, "Denise bagged me", (In laymen's terms, I made the first move). Although he does admit to being intimidated and was surprised, I was "checking for him" so to speak. It was if a lightbulb went off in his head and without hesitation he asked for my number and from that moment on, everything changed. We had both found "our person". To think, Sharif almost left his future wife in Brooklyn!