From growing up in North Carolina, going to UNC for undergrad, ECU for medical school, Akash and Juhi knew each other for 10 years before their paths truly converged. Akash was in the same circle of friends as Juhi's older sister and Juhi was in the same circle of friends as Akash's younger brother. Both ran into each other countless times--you would think that we saw it coming! The first few times of running into each other at UNC was interrupted by Akash being stuck on his Xbox or on the "ping pong" table, while Juhi was busy navigating college through runs around campus and weekly dessert nights at YoPo. The same story continued at ECU, where you would find Akash at Pitt Street, while Juhi spent late nights in the library. The turning point came with planning Juhi's sister's wedding. From the constant back and forth planning to practicing skits for the reception, a new friendship came about. Many guests, seeing their bond in wedding photos, mistakenly congratulated them on their own wedding--so others clearly saw it coming! Their friendship grew through continued encounters at various events. They even came together to celebrate Juhi's match day in Greenville with the rest of her friends and family. A year later, after some trips between Richmond and NYC, both decided they wanted to take their friendship to the next level...and the rest is history!

Akash likes to be known as "the funny guy." He can get along with anyone (as long as they're a Panthers fan) and is so easy to be around. Some of my favorite memories, and probably his least favorite memories, are when I force him to engage in my goofy actions. But he does always join along--dancing in grocery stores, singing Snoop Dog lyrics, quoting "Remember the Titans." One day, Akash and I were in Chicago for his cousin's wedding, and we were just hanging out in the hotel room. Randomly, Akash got a burst of energy and started jumping from the couch to the bed over and over again. Then, he turned on Bollywood music and started to do "the penguin dance." That was one of the moments that made me realize, "Yeah I can do this forever with him. Life is never going to be boring."

I knew early on how much I liked Juhi. But was it the same for her? Everything she did, every thoughtful gesture, felt like an extension of her baseline kindness. It was hard to decipher if her actions meant something more, or if it was just Juhi being Juhi. Then came Thanksgiving. I was swamped with work, clocking in 7pm shifts every single day. Even with that brutal schedule, I knew I wouldn't be free on Thanksgiving. But as I walked through my door, there she was. Juhi, standing in the middle of my apartment. She'd flown over to New York, knowing I wouldn't be free, just to have dinner with me, all for a few hours with me after my shift. In that moment, everything clicked into place. It wasn't just Juhi being Juhi. It was Juhi going above and beyond. I knew then, that Juhi was a keeper.