After swiping right on Bumble, Stephen noted Afiya's request for "no pen pals" and quickly invited her on a date. Afiya was busy preparing for Beychella which required her full attention, so the date would have to wait. When she returned to Atlanta, she came down with the "Coachella Flu" so the date would have to wait again. Stephen was beginning to think Afiya was a catfish, but finally their schedules aligned on May 2nd, 2018 and they met for their first date. The next day Afiya received a text from Stephen that read "I'm fairly certain we met at Howard homecoming in 2007." This surprised Afiya, and she was SURE this wasn't true; however, on their second date, on top of Ponce City Market, overlooking the Atlanta skyline, Stephen proved something Afiya now knows is true--Stephen never forgets a face.

It was Christmas 2018 when Stephen gave Afiya a Christmas card signed with "I love you Afiya". Afiya was pretty surprised since after a failed DTR conversation in late summer, Afiya decided she wouldn't push the issue, and instead would just enjoy dating (LOL). The next day, Afiya who thrives off of clarity and certainty asked, "so does this mean we're boyfriend and girlfriend?" Stephen replied "You've been my girlfriend for a long time." Since there was no official anniversary date (and that's super important) they decided to pick the day they met back in 2007. Their relationship continued to grow and soon Afiya and Stephen had traveled to Phoenix, The Grand Canyon, Vietnam, Jamaica, Savannah, Miami, Chicago, and several other places together. The biggest journey they've taken together though is parenting. Mason was 3 when Stephen and Afiya began dating and they've enjoyed watching him grow, change, and mature into a happy 7 year old. On October 8th, 2021 - after braving the stress of traveling through the airport with an engagement ring - Stephen asked Afiya to marry him on top of the tallest open air rooftop in the western hemisphere, while Justin Timberlake's Mirrors played over the speakers. Cheers to the next stage of the Norris Family journey!