Karina's Perspective: Robert and I met in a Latin Jazz class, with him on drums and me on vocals. The first day of class together, I sang “Wave” by Antonio Carlos Jobim, and by pure chance, we were standing directly across from each other. As we played with the rest of the class, we kept exchanging glances, caught somewhere between the rhythm and a quiet spark neither of us could ignore. After class, we ended up talking outside the room, both convinced we looked strangely familiar. What we thought would be a quick hello turned into two hours of conversation, laughter, and realizing how many times we had almost met before. Near-misses, shared places, and parallel paths. It felt oddly fated, like the universe had been nudging us toward each other for a while and finally got impatient. Even so, I was hesitant. I wasn’t planning on opening up to anyone any time soon, and I definitely wasn’t expecting to feel something so quickly. I tried to keep my walls up, but Robert made that surprisingly difficult in the best way. He was gentle, thoughtful, and never crossed a boundary. He asked for my perspective and truly listened, and I could tell he respected me in a way that felt rare and sincere. Before I left for my commute home, those conversations turned into another hour sitting in his car, jamming to music and letting the night stretch on longer than planned. I remember thinking how easy everything felt: no awkwardness, no pressure, just a really good energy. I left that night knowing something meaningful had started, even if I didn’t yet know where it would lead. ⋆ ✦ ⋆ ───────── ✦ ───────── ⋆ ✦ ⋆ Robert's Perspective: The first time I saw her in class, I felt this immediate sense of familiarity like I knew her already but couldn’t figure out how or why. When we started playing together, it all hit me at once. Standing across from her, I could feel that she sensed it too. There was this quiet, unspoken connection that made the whole room fade a little. Then she started singing. I remember thinking, "this is it". She was beautiful, incredibly talented, bubbly, and full of life. I knew right then that I wanted to know her more, not just as a singer, but as a person. I approached her after class, opening up the conversation by asking her if we've met before. Our conversation flowed so naturally it didn’t even feel like time was passing. We went deep quickly, talking about life, perspectives, and everything in between. I felt respected, understood, and completely at ease, and I could tell she felt safe engaging in those conversations too. When we sat in my car later, I played gospel music, and when she said she hadn’t heard it in so long, something clicked even deeper. The conversations we had and the music we shared let me know that we shared the same values, morals, and how we see the world. In that moment, I knew she would accept me fully, and that mattered more than I can explain. I remember thinking she was almost too good to be true. I wondered if people like her actually exist. I was nervous, a little in disbelief, but everything felt right. We didn’t have to force anything. We just clicked.

Karina's Perspective: What surprised me most about you was how gentle you are. You lead with kindness, curiosity, and respect in a way that instantly made me feel safe. I wasn’t expecting to feel so understood so quickly, and definitely wasn’t expecting someone to handle my heart with so much care. ⋆ ✦ ⋆ ───────── ✦ ───────── ⋆ ✦ ⋆ Robert's Perspective: What surprised me most about you was your openness. Despite everything you’d been through with faith, you were willing to step into it alongside me. That kind of courage and trust showed me how thoughtful you are, how deeply you reflect, and how willing you are to grow together instead of apart.

Karina's Perspective: I love how grounded you are. You’re thoughtful, steady, and intentional. You make the world feel calmer just by being in it, and you love with patience and purpose. I feel supported in every version of myself. ⋆ ✦ ⋆ ───────── ✦ ───────── ⋆ ✦ ⋆ Robert's Perspective: What I love most about you is your fairness and understanding. You approach life with such gentleness, and that balance you bring creates a space where I feel safe, seen, and deeply loved.

Building a life side by side. Creating a home filled with music, laughter, faith, and late-night conversations. Growing together, learning from each other, and choosing one another every day.