Fatima was throwing an abnormally large housewarming party (are we surprised?) at her apartment in Manhattan. With her friends from NYU, Jamath Khane, and all walks of life attending, it was bound to be a rager. Fatima's friend Alysha asked if she could bring her cousin Zul along since he had just moved to the city and would love a chance to meet new people. The party was raging and when Zul walked through the door, Fatima AUDIBLY exclaimed, "Ooh, you cute!" Before quickly trying to hide from embarrassment. As the night continued, Zul saw one of Fatima's Canadian hockey jerseys on the wall and found the perfect opportunity to strike up a conversation. Who knew? They were both Canadian, both hockey fans, and somehow, both in New York City at the same time. The two soon formed a friend group together, infamously known as the Paanchitos, with a few other memebers of their Manhattan crew.

Yes, their first date was on Valentine's Day. Could you get any more cheesy? After months of friendship and pretty-evident awkward tension, the two "best friends" finally decided to go on a date. The two met at Fatima's apartment for dinner, where Zul showed up with white daisies for Fatima... and Fatima with orange tulips for Zul (#MenDeserveFlowersToo). Fatima and Zul shared a homemade Indian meal (#WifeyMaterial) after which they jetted off to a surprise event at The Slipper Room. To put it simply, The Slipper Room was A LOT more than the two had expected for a first date. With a complete show of burlesque dancers, comedians, and neo-vaudeville performers, Fatima and Zul had a truly spectacular first date. They decided that they wanted to spend a little more time together after the show was over, so the pair picked up a tub of Ben & Jerry's ice cream to enjoy when they got back.

Under the ruse of a couples photoshoot, the Zul and Fatima headed to Calgary's East Village. As the photographer began to take photos of the couple, it started to rain and Fatima suggested they go somewhere inside to take cover. Instead, Zul got down on one knee and with (a very complex three-piece) ring in hand said, "Will you do me the honour of spending the rest of your life with me?" Fatima immediately began to ugly cry and was completely speechless. Zul nudged her for an answer in the midst of her tears, after which she nodded aggressively in agreement. Zul started to make dad jokes and soon Fatima's tears of joy were broken through with loads of laughter. After the newly engaged couple took a few more romantic photos, they headed straight to McDonald's because Fatima was obviously craving chicken nuggets.

As many of you may know, Fatima and Zul were in a truly LONG-distance relationship for almost six years. Although they both met in Manhattan, NY, they parted ways for graduate school with Fatima heading to Bologna, Italy, and Zul to Dominica in the Caribbean. From then on, the relationship stayed strong as Fatima moved around the United States and even to London, UK while Zul was studying and working in Toronto then Calgary. Their relationship was not without arguments and strife, being thousands of miles apart definitely didn't help. However, with their truly magical bond and their eventual future together, Fatima and Zul came our stronger in the end. The best part of their long-distance relationship was that the pair were able to travel the world. From Italy to Turkey to Israel to Romania to DC to Seattle to London to Las Vegas and of course yearly trips to Banff, Fatima and Zul did their best to make up for the lost time.