We met at Central State University, an HBCU in Ohio, during athlete workouts as we were reporting back for the season—she played volleyball, and I played football. What started as simple conversations between practices slowly turned into something we both looked forward to. We talked about everything—sports, life, goals, and the things we were going through—and without even realizing it, 8 years later we started building something deeper than friendship. Over time, what began as college conversations turned into a genuine bond, and we both became not just someone we knew, but someone we truly grew close to in the most natural way.