In the fall of 2023, Karan and Hejal matched together on Hinge. After a few days of messaging, Karan excitedly planned their first date for November 19th and spent the week preparing - fresh haircut, new cologne, and even mapping out the perfect driving/parking strategy. But the morning of the date, tragedy struck: India lost the Cricket World Cup. Knowing his heart simply couldn’t handle a first date in such emotional turmoil, Karan asked to postpone. Luckily, Hejal with her infinite graciousness and understanding, agreed to a raincheck two weeks later. When the long-awaited date finally arrived, the conversation flowed effortlessly. Early in dinner, just after the waitress walked away, Karan asked, “Hey… what was the name?” referring to the waitress. Hejal, thinking he had forgotten her name, kindly and genuinely replied, “Oh haha, it’s Hejal.” In that exact moment, Karan knew he had found the one. Unassuming, genuine, and patient. The night only got better from there: dinner turned into a comedy show, which turned into one more drink at a nearby bar because neither was ready for it to end. Sometime during that final stop, Hejal with happy jitters, absentmindedly tore a cardboard coaster into four pieces and slipped one into her purse as a tiny keepsake. What she didn’t know was that Karan kept the other three - an early sign that their story would be built not on grand gestures, but on intimate, sweet moments shared together. Since then, the coaster has been put back together and is now prominently hanging up in their first apartment together. They each knew they had met their forever after that first date. The receipts are in the gallery to prove it.