Hmong New Year is notorious for bringing couples together, and Kabao and Shai were no exception to this twist of fate! It was a chilly November day in Omaha, Nebraska when they met. Innocent and unsuspecting, neither knew what to expect of the event they were attending. Kabao was excited for the revival of the Hmong New Year in Omaha, and Shai was simply accompanying a friend after making a last-minute decision. Nobody could have told them they would be pressured into talking, ball tossing, or sitting together at what was deemed "The Singles Table." Even if someone did, they would not have been convinced that it would go anywhere. But that night, in the little moments between love songs, slow dances, and stolen glances, he fell. Shai fell in love the way fire engulfs paper: instantaneous, in warm golden sparks, all-consuming. He pursued Kabao for nearly eight months after their first meeting, and he was not as shy as his name suggested. He put on some rather grand displays of affection, including bringing her rose stems whenever she sang on stage, gifting her framed pink moth wings on Christmas Day, and driving to multiple floral shops in search of an arrangement of calla lilies on Valentine's Day. Shai also attended parties up and down the midwest, knowing she would be there, just so he could see her and talk to her. He was relentless in asking her on a first date, only to be met with rejection each time. It was hopeless, and maybe Shai realized that, but he held on as long as he could. Then, when he started to feel the flame burning inside him flicker off—by some miracle—she said yes. Kabao fell in love the way water comes to a boil: gradual, bubbling with life and energy, unpredictable. She tirelessly asserted her stance on love, reiterating to Shai that she was not looking for a relationship beyond friendship. She could never understand why he still tried after hearing this almost on a weekly basis, and truthfully, she grew vexed by his constant appearances in her life. The gifts, although thoughtful, did little to move her—until she realized that the physical gifts did not, and would never, matter. It was his authenticity and effort that started to warm that icy heart of hers. It was how his actions always matched his words. It was the way he looked at her like she was the light leading him home. His hopefulness was contagious. Before Kabao knew it, she agreed to the date, and she would come to realize that it was one of the best decisions she has ever made in her life.