Quinlin and Jabari met at the classiest place, Shark Bar, in the sophisticated Power and Light District in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Quinlin was strategically using the dance floor as a method of exercise and mental health rejuvenation and had no interest in communicating with anyone other than the bartenders. Jabari was simply passing through Kansas City was only at Shark Bar because it was suggested by the woman working the front desk at his hotel. Jabari had his eye on Quinlin throughout the night and asked her to dance with him but she wasn't there to meet anyone, said no thanks and kept on dancing. Later, the two found themselves outside to get some fresh air and were soon wrapped up in conversation. Quinlin found Jabari genuine and authentic and agreed to go to dinner with him a couple of nights later. Quinlin and Jabari shared their first date at Anton's Steakhouse where Jabari let Quinlin know he was just traveling through KC and actually lived in Alexandria, VA, was stationed at Joint Base Andrews, and was in the United States Airforce. Jay and Quinlin talked the night away at Green Lady Lounge, which is a jazz club in downtown Kansas City. That was on a Monday and the two went for their second date on Tuesday then on their third date on Wednesday. The sparks flew, the connection was evident, and both felt as if they were the only ones in the room. However, it seemed that the relationship would be short-lived since Jabari was living hundreds of miles away from Quinlin at the time. Quinlin prepared a goodbye gift for Jabari the day before he left, which consisted of Boulevard beer and several Kansas City memorabilia items. The evening before Jabari was leaving Kansas City, the two said nice to meet you, and they thought they were seeing each other for the last time. However, that wasn't where things ended. Jabari and Quinlin decided that what they had was worth continuing and dated long distance for 1 year before Jabari moved to Kansas City in 2018.

On May 17, 2020, Jabari packed a basket full of Quinlin's favorite fruits, snacks, and her favorite cocktail, gin and tonic. Then he casually told her that he felt like going on a picnic. On a beautiful afternoon, the couple went out to The Nelson Atkins Museum to sit on the front lawn where they enjoyed the perfect picnic food, each other's company, and people watching. After about 30 minutes, Jabari asked Quinlin to play Heads Up, a game that requires one person to act out words or phrases that the other person is blindly holding in an attempt to get them to say the given word or phrase. This game had quickly become a favorite of theirs, as they often used it to entertain themselves during COVID-19 quarantine. However, the park was a bit crowded that day and Quinlin didn't want to be a focal point for the people around them and said, "Let's play later!" Little did she know that this threw a wrench into Jabari's well-crafted plan. Unphased by the hiccup, Jabari decided that it was time to pack up after they both realized that there was no restroom available to use on the front lawn of the city museum. They later found themselves at Loose Park, a gorgeous large park in Kansas City. They set up their second picnic and after some reflective conversation on fate and serendipity, Jabari asked Quinlin again if she wanted to play Heads Up. Feeling more comfortable in the less populated park, Quinlin was excited to play. They played a few rounds and everything seemed normal until it was Jabari's turn to act out the words/phrases for Quinlin to guess. A few words in, Jabari appeared to be acting out a proposal. He got down on one knee and Quinlin quickly guessed it, but then Jabari pulled out the ring! They were cheered on by distant on-lookers as he asked her to marry him and she said yes!