We met at an concert in March 2017. It was for an alternative R&B group called "THEY." I honestly don't remember how I discovered them. Once I listened to a few tracks on Soundcloud, I was pretty hooked. They were on my daily playlist. It wasn't until a few months later that I discovered they were going on tour. I bought tickets and had a friend come along with me. Little did I know, but this was the day that my life changed forever. Dilya was attending with a couple of friends that night. They were on their way outside to get some fresh air prior to the concert starting. We ended up striking a conversation and we talked for a bit before the concert started. We exchanged information and went about our ways. We didn’t see each other for the rest of the night. We enjoyed the show with our friends. Time passed by, but we stayed connected through social media.

It wasn’t until I was on my way out of Seattle to LA, that I realized I wanted to see her again. I asked her to hang out and we had plans to watch a movie in downtown after I got off work. She was at a friends birthday and we planned to meet up afterwards. I waited and waited and texted, but received no answer. I called her phone and it went straight to voicemail. I thought I got stood up so I ended up driving to the waterfront. I was planning on moving to LA in two weeks time, so I decided to go to the water to reflect on my upcoming journey. I was planning on working there to do photography and design. I had everything set up; I had a place to stay, changed my phone number to a 323 area code, and was committed to leaving the life I knew. After reflecting, I went home and ended up getting a FaceTime call from Dilya. She had such a kind and sweet presence about her. She apologized and said her phone had died and had no way of contacting me. I wanted to see her, so we made plans for happy hour. The day I actually met her again - face to face, I realized my life was forever changed. There was no way I could leave her side. We saw each other every day until I was supposed to move. As the days got closer to my big move, I cared less and less about LA. I knew if I went through with it, I would be leaving something better than what I had in store for myself. So I made the decision to stay, and it was the best decision I could have ever made. As I look back, I can see that the love we share is bigger than the both of us. I learned that everything is in God's hands, and that life is better living according to God's plan.

I was at a friend's birthday dinner and ended up making quick plans for a movie with Jarel. My phone ended up dying and had no way to contact him (classic Dil). I walked up and down the escalators of Westlake Center, hoping I'd run into him. I didn't. We ended up not seeing each other at all. I felt so bad for standing him up, I really wanted to hang out with him! I called him on FaceTime and we made plans for another day. We made plans to meet at Ohana in Belltown. It was the most natural 1st date, ever. I knew there was so much more than what you could see with Jarel. He was so soft spoken. So when he did speak, he had my undivided attention. I was, and still am so fascinated at how a man can be so confident, yet humble. I couldn't help but want to know what was going on in his head. So I asked. I pried. I probably over-stepped. Honestly, I didn't care if I was being "too personal". That was my intention. We had very deep conversations on the 1st date. From religion, to our world views, to our beliefs and what we wanted out of the future. The conversation changed the way I viewed the world. He taught me how to look people in the eyes confidently. How to use their body language, speech, and motion to discover who they are, how they're feeling and uncover hidden truths about them. I learned so much that day. After lunch, we went to Barnes and Noble in Westlake Center. He waited until we were back in his car to show me what he bought. Jarel handed me the book "The Power of Now" and he told me that he wanted to read it with me. It was at this time, he pulled out his own copy and said he was just starting it as well and thought this book could really help me. This book taught me about spiritual consciousness and enlightenment. I knew that we didn't meet each other on accident. I knew we weren't just grabbing happy hour to see what would happen. God had divinely preordained this connection.