Hieu was stationed in Wichita Falls, Texas for pilot training. Gabraella was a local college student at Midwestern State University. Hieu wanted to check out a local coffee shop called 8th Street, where Gabby frequently studied with her coffee-loving bestie. They met standing in the notoriously long line, where Hieu asked Gabby if he could buy her coffee for her. She ironically didn't love coffee, so he bought her tea. Once she realized he was her cup of tea, she fell in love with him as he taught her to love coffee too.