Payal and Tejas’s story began in 2012, when Payal moved back to the U.S. from India and enrolled at San Mateo High School. On her first day, she spotted a cute Indian boy in French class, and their eyes met. They introduced themselves, but both were too shy to do much more—though they only exchanged a few words that day, fate was already weaving their paths together. Two years later, on June 16th, 2014, Tejas finally worked up the courage to ask Payal out on a date. During their senior year of high school, they supported each other through the whirlwind of college applications, never imagining they'd end up at the same university. But after receiving their admissions and visiting campuses, they both landed on the same top choice—UC San Diego. There, they faced new challenges side by side, uncovered their passions, built lifelong friendships, and grew into adulthood together. Towards the end of their college careers, Payal and Tejas found themselves contemplating how, and where, to spend the rest of their lives. By another stroke of luck, both of their job offers landed them not just in the same city, but in the same exact building in downtown San Francisco! Side by side, they dove into their careers and built a cozy life and home in the city they have come to love. Payal and Tejas’s first meeting 12+ years ago culminates in both of them planning their proposals to each other in 2023 — Payal proposed to Tejas at San Mateo High School, in the very classroom where their story began. Shortly afterward, Tejas proposed back in San Diego, their happy place, and the city where their relationship blossomed. Reflecting on all these moments, Payal and Tejas feel endlessly grateful for every serendipitous twist that brought them together, and for the promise of all the adventures still to come.

- When Tejas was in high school, he took a leadership survey at UC Berkeley, which revealed that he had the qualities of an owl. At first, Payal wasn’t impressed, but after discussing the traits of an owl, she realized how much they resonated with her too. Since then, whenever they have the same thought or say the same thing at the same time, they say “owls". They’ve exchanged many owl-themed gifts along the way and often refer to themselves as owls! - Payal couldn’t wait and ended up proposing to Tejas first, breaking their pact to wait till 2024 before one of them popped the question. (You can watch their proposal videos on the 'Gallery' page!) - Embracing their remote work lifestyles, Payal and Tejas have loved working from different cities, making memories in places like San Diego and Mexico City. We're very excited to celebrate owl love with our loved ones on September 27th <3