Our Happily Ever After!

Samantha and Mikayla met in middle school math class — both too distracted by Mikayla’s K-pop photocard collection to pay attention to whatever Mr. Goings was teaching (something about the quadratic formula… maybe?). They do remember he had a Chihuahua named Kevin. What they didn’t realize then was how much life they’d end up sharing. Samantha eventually slid into Mikayla’s DMs after noticing they shared the same birthday, shifting them from classroom friends to real ones. What started as a “wait… that’s weird” moment turned into endless talks about K-pop boys, inside jokes, and eight-hour FaceTime calls that neither of them wanted to end. By sophomore year, Samantha called Mikayla her girlfriend in French class. She texted her afterward and said, “I guess you’re my girlfriend now.” Mikayla didn’t object. They haven’t gone a day without each other since. Over eight years, they’ve grown up side by side — through sleepovers, growing pains, shared dreams, and an endless amount of love. Their adventures together have taken them everywhere, and their growing fridge magnet collection tells the story of each one. Mikayla loves Samantha’s determination and courage; Samantha loves that Mikayla is the funniest person she’s ever met — her calm, her safety, her home. Mikayla proposed on Thanksgiving weekend during a beach trip that didn’t go exactly as planned — traffic, freezing weather, and all. Wrapped in a blanket in the dark, it was perfectly imperfect, just like them. After all these years, their favorite part is still the same: coming home to each other.