Our love story didn’t begin with fireworks or instant chemistry it began quietly, almost unexpectedly. We first met while I was completing my senior project for school. At the time, there was absolutely no interest between us. He was quiet and reserved, content in his own world, while I was the complete opposite, outgoing, talkative, and full of energy. As cliché as it sounds, opposites truly do attract… and we were living proof. We shared mutual friends, which meant our paths crossed more often than planned. Soon, we grew used to seeing each other at church, especially since I was volunteering in his cousin’s class. Even then, there was nothing intentional about it we were simply two people who kept showing up in the same places. I’ll never forget one of the first times I spoke to him. I asked what he was playing on his Game Boy, and without even looking up, he replied, “Pokémon.” Trying to keep the conversation going, I said how cool that was and mentioned I’d played a few Game Boy games myself. He finally looked at me with a glance that clearly said "please go away". I remember laughing later and telling his cousin how rude I thought he was. Funny how first impressions can be so wrong. As time passed, we continued seeing each other not because we planned to, but because he always seemed to be around. Somewhere along the way, a small crush quietly grew. What I didn’t know at the time, but we smile about now, is that he felt it too. Every time I went somewhere with his cousins, I secretly hoped he would be there. And when he wasn’t, I felt an unexpected disappointment. That’s when I realized I was falling, hard. One of my favorite memories is the first time we held hands. Sitting nervously in the back seat of his cousin’s car as they drove me home from a small get-together, our palms were sweaty, and my heart was racing. The butterflies in my stomach were impossible to ignore. In that moment, I knew this was something real. On May 31st, 2012, Jose officially asked me to be his girlfriend. Thirteen years later, here we are. Our love story hasn’t been perfect, it’s had its ups and downs, but we have never given up on each other. We’ve grown side by side, from the young kids we once were into the adults we are today. Looking back at everything we’ve experienced together feels almost unreal. And as we look forward, we know this is only the beginning. We’ll continue to travel, dream, and experience the rest of life hand in hand. We have forever and we plan to make every moment count.