Christian and Julia first met Summer of 2022 during their first university class together in Seattle Washington. What started as casual conversations in class and quick smiles across the room slowly became the best part of their days. The pair frequently spoke before class. In their second class together, they were paired for a group project, it felt like fate. Study sessions turned into long conversations. Long conversations turned into anticipation. Somewhere between shared notes and late evenings preparing their presentation, admiration shifted into something deeper. But there was a quiet urgency beneath it all. Julia was a transfer student, taking those final prerequisite classes to be accepted into her master’s program. This was the last one she needed. Once the semester ended, she would move forward into graduate studies while Christian would remain an undergraduate, finishing his bachelor’s degree. There would be no more shared classrooms, no more reasons to see each other. When their presentation ended and the reality of that separation set in, Christian knew he couldn’t let this be the last time he would see her. If he didn’t ask her out now, he might lose the chance entirely. So, with nerves he couldn’t hide, he asked her on a date. She said yes. That night felt different. From the start there was easy laughter, and the two found they shared a lot in common. What had grown in classrooms now had space to flourish outside of them. They exchanged numbers. The two supported each other through separate academic paths and the start of their professional careers. By the summer of 2024, Christian knew it was time. He couldn’t wait any longer. During a trip to Manhattan, he asked her parents for her hand in marriage, and they gave it joyfully, already seeing the love that had taken root. Later, beneath the glowing skyline of Manhattan, engulfed in the light of the city, Christian asked Julia if she would marry him. She said yes.