'Oh my God' were the first words I ever heard Sand J say, as the rest of the people at the BSU (Black Student Union) meeting continued to roast me as I said something they did not agree with. Sand J was sitting to my right and as I heard her comment, I knew for sure she hated me. With similar acquaintances, we were both invited to join a Halloween party (Don't judge). Later, through conversation, we both learned we were both Haitian and SDA (Seventh-day Adventist). We made it a mission to both attend a church that Saturday even though we were super exhausted. Not sure how and why but somehow me and her had 'beef' but you know the plutonic like 'beef.' Where she would post something on her Snapchat, and I would swipe up and comment 'Nobody cares.' Attending another party and as uncomfortable as I was for some reason, I thought Sand J looked very attractive but was hesitant to dance with her. I woke up one day and something felt weird and noticed for some reason I had the biggest crush on Sand J, and Valentine’s Day was right around the corner. So, when she posted on Snapchat again, I did what I always do, and I swiped up and told her 'Nobody cares.' We must have been texting until about midnight before I fell asleep but the first thing, I did was message her 'Good morning.' While texting we both made our intentions clear, we are not dating just to date, we are dating in the hopes that someday we will be married! The only person who would make me spend summers away from family just to make sure I am closer to her, the one that motivates me to continue to strive for more, spending cold winters though I am from a place with warmer climate. Sand J has already loved me through thick and thin and could not imagine my days without her.

'Here we go again - another Black guy whose only agenda is to cause tension among Black people and gain favor among White people.' These were my exact thoughts as my eyes slowly rolled from one side of the room to the other. Here I am, at a BSU meeting, finally trying to learn more about my culture - and most importantly, have the opportunity to meet and connect with others who look like me. This Black kid sitting next to me was both loud and an extrovert - both of which I’m not. I had no intention of making him my friend or keeping him close in my circle because my assumption was that he was just as uninterested in me as I was in him. It wasn’t until we crossed paths again when we were both invited to a college party that we discovered the similarities of our background. Once he said he was both Haitian and Seventh-day Adventist, a signal went off telling me that he would not be ordinary to my story. After our discovery, we quickly developed what WaWa called “beef” (even though he knew I was a pescatarian). From swiping up on my snapchat stories to making me feel unacknowledged, and to the smart comments he’d make once we saw each other in the hallways - if I told you it felt like love at first sight you wouldn’t believe it because it really felt like a love that bloomed overnight. I prayed and I dreamt of having a love that felt effortless filled with joy and laughter. God gave me just that. Loving Wa has been a journey filled with love and happiness but being loved by him reminds me of how God loves us - both compassionately, and in every instance - unconditionally.