Our story started long before either of us realized it would become something so meaningful. Back in high school, we were just two people who happened to know each other through a mutual friend. We didn’t go to the same school, but our paths crossed enough for us to be familiar faces in each other’s lives. At the time, it was nothing more than that—just a casual connection in the background of our teenage years. Eventually, life moved on, and over the next two years we lost touch completely. Then, during my sophomore year of college at UCR, Clark suddenly reappeared—this time sliding into my DMs. At first, I had absolutely no interest in him. But Clark has always been persistent, and he kept asking if he could take me out for boba. I brushed it off for a while, but eventually I decided to give him a chance and said yes. Our first date didn’t exactly start off smoothly. We had plans to meet at a Thai restaurant, but I stood him up for about 30 minutes because I was hesitant and unsure if I should even go. Clark waited patiently anyway. Eventually, I showed up—and what was supposed to be a normal dinner date turned into us talking for two straight hours. We were so caught up in conversation that our food sat on the table, completely cold and barely touched. From that moment on, the rest was history. Our relationship grew through every high and low life could throw at us. We’ve been there for each other through Clark’s mountain bike accident, the long and stressful journey of nursing school, graduating together, and eventually working night shifts side by side. Through all the chaos, exhaustion, and growth, we always had each other. If you asked Clark when he knew I was the one, he would say it was only two months into our relationship. It was his 21st birthday, and he had gotten completely blacked-out drunk. Instead of running away from the mess, I stayed by his side all night—taking care of him and making sure he didn’t aspirate while throwing up. As he puts it, “She saw the ugly side of me and still decided to stay.” If you asked me when I knew Clark was the one, my answer would be a little different. I knew when he would drive all the way from Rancho to Riverside just to take me to my 8 a.m. classes. He’d drop me off, wait outside while I was in class, and be there the second I walked out. Every time he came to visit, he’d bring me flowers and write me the cheesiest poems. It wasn’t just the gestures—it was the effort, the consistency, and the way he showed up for me again and again. I knew early on that he was the one. Clark lived out the saying everyone talks about but rarely proves true: “If he wanted to, he would.” And he always did.