Our first encounter was when we happened to sit next to each other during orientation week at Boston University in June of 2018. We sat silently in the computer lab planning our freshman year courses when Baderha broke the silence and asked Jack about the book he was carrying around. It was the beloved “Fellowship of the Ring” by J.R.R Tolkien. We spoke about our excitement for life at Boston University. We then parted ways and met again outside our Psychology 101 course in September 2018 and decided to have lunch with our other classmates. Many days and nights of studying general chemistry and psychology together formed the foundation of our friendship. The only time we did not spend learning together during freshman year was during class. This is because Baderha is a “front of the class” girl while Jack is a “back of the class” guy. Nevertheless, our friendship continued to blossom. As a friends-to-lovers story goes, we have grown together and witnessed many different versions of each other. From our teenage years to adulting together in our mid twenties, it has been a beautiful journey. We started dating in 2023 and our relationship has been a romantic comedy (our favorite kind of movie to watch together). We like to joke with each other that we are old souls as our dates consist of evenings at the theater supporting the arts, exploring bookstores for our next read, picnics at the park and cafe hopping and treating ourselves to baked goods with a matcha (Baderha) and cappuccino (Jack). We are so grateful for God’s timing in our life as we take this next step together. Growing in our faith and love for Jesus through church, volunteering, and bible studies has deepened our love and commitment to each other. We are so excited to celebrate our love with our families, friends, and community! 👵🏾👴🏻