Our story didn't start with a whirlwind first date; it started in the hallways of 7th grade. We were just two kids in the same middle school circles, knowing each other’s names but having no idea that our futures were already intertwined. Through high school, we were the constants in each other's lives—the familiar face in the crowd, the person to laugh with in shared classes, and eventually, the friend to lean on at Senior Prom. We danced the night away as friends, celebrated graduation, and then went our separate ways to grow into the people we were meant to become. Years passed, but the universe wasn't done with us yet. When we finally reconnected, everything felt different yet strangely like coming home. The timing was finally right, the friendship was already there, and the rest, as they say, is history.