They met at a Cuban bar along the Wharf in Southwest DC on a Saturday afternoon. Imani had lost her car in the garage of her new apartment building, causing her to leave 30 minutes later than planned. Nick, thinking ahead, sent her a text with the link of the exact location, but instead of following it, in a rush, Imani typed in the restaurant name and drove to the bar's second location on the other side of town. Now an hour late, she called Nick, expecting he would be upset and ready to give up. Instead, he was calm, kind, and helpful saying he'd have a drink waiting for her when she arrived - which he did. Despite the late start, the date was still early enough in the afternoon they both had made evening plans with friends. After a couple of drinks, it was clear they'd have to reschedule those plans. Nick quickly took the role of tour guide and recommended they change scenery by having dinner in Navy Yard. Imani found herself enjoying his company, so she happily accepted the invitation. They walked past the location of Marvin Gaye's childhood home on their way, which Nick proudly pointed out. At the restaurant, they shared a pizza on the rooftop, which overlooked the Anacostia River. The conversation felt natural as they laughed and traded stories. After dinner, they stopped for the last call at a nearby bar, then walked around the neighborhood and talked about favorite movies, travel, and family. Before they knew it, 10 hours had passed since they had originally met on the Wharf. This would later be referred to as their "marathon first date". Nick walked her back to her car, where she lost her car for the second time, but not before sneaking in a kiss and wishing her a good night. Imani called her friends on her drive home and told them she thought she had met "the one." As they say, the rest is history.

A few months into dating, things were going well and we were inseparable. Nick made reservations for us at this great French restaurant, Le Diplomate. A few minutes after we were seated, I noticed Nick was unusually quiet. I asked him if everything was ok and finally he responded, "Baby.. Just stand up with me for a second". I was SO confused and started thinking, "OMG, IS THIS MAN ABOUT TO PROPOSE, ALREADY?!" I stared at him with a puzzled look. He said, "I need you to trust me, just stand up". So I stand up, genuinely thinking he's about to propose. He then guided me a few feet away, where he calmly said, "I didn't want you to freak out, but there was a roach on our table." It was a hilarious memory for the both of us and I was very impressed with how calm, cool, and collected his demeanor stayed as a roach crawled across the table. The manager apologized profusely and thanked us for not making a scene. The manager took care of the check but Nick made sure to still leave a large tip. Yet another sign that he was a great guy.