September 2016: I’d been in the U.S. for less than a month when I wandered into an Iranian club meeting at U of I. That’s where I met Nasrin. She was chatting a mile a minute, and my English was still stuck in first gear😂. After asking her to repeat herself twice, she looked me dead in the eyes and went, “Why don’t you understand anything?” 😂 Ouch. Honestly, that should’ve been a sign to run. After that first encounter, we didn’t exactly become BFFs. Instead, we’d bump into each other at random campus parties—maybe twice a year—exchange awkward hellos, and head home. During summer 2018, suddenly we were hanging out for real with a couple of friends. Nas and I discovered that we laugh at the same dumb jokes, roll our eyes at the same silly people, and generally think in sync. It was like finding your favorite song on repeat—comfortable, familiar, and somehow always new. By February 2019, friendship officially upgraded to “dating.” From long-distance for a whole year to surviving a global pandemic lockdown without strangling each other, we’ve tackled it all side by side. And then, on April 28, 2024, I dropped to one knee and asked her to marry me. Luckily, she said yes—because I definitely can’t imagine doing life without her. ❤️ PS. KIA HAS ALTERED THE TRUTH WAIT TILL THE WEDDING FOR THE REAL STORY! — Kia & Nasrin, coming September 19, 2025!