Their story is not unlike many others these days — The pair met through mutual friends during a Zoom movie night at the height of COVID. Sebastian thought Onyx was cute, but he had a rule: he would only add someone on social media if he saw them more than once on Zoom. Thankfully, the movie was Gone with the Wind and being such a long film, the movie night was turned into a two-part showing. That second night gave him the all clear to reach out. He sent the follow request, and she accepted. Their friendship began with virtual service groups and study sessions. But what really brought their friendship to the next level was when Sebastian accidentally sent Onyx pictures of My Little Pony Zippo lighters. Realizing his mistake, he quickly apologized, saying he couldn’t quite explain. Onyx was puzzled, wondered if this was some unusual way of flirting. As it turned out, a friend of his needed a new lighter, and he sent goofy suggestions — only to send it to Onyx by mistake. (Onyx still thinks it was on purpose, but Sebastian swears it was an accident) Sometime later, Onyx had to undergo a dental procedure and was in a lot of pain. When Sebastian heard, he asked for her address — and sent her a wraparound ice pack. It seemed like such a small thing, but she took it as deeply thoughtful. That simple act made her pause and think; I might have feelings for this person. His kindness had left an impression. A few months later, Sebastian wanted to give her something else she had really wanted…… but she turned it down. She explained it was because she thought he liked her — and that she liked him too — but wasn’t ready to date. After the rollercoaster of emotions, Sebastian replied, “……This isn’t a text conversation. We need to talk.” Onyx’s heart raced with nerves, but they talked things through and decided that neither of them were ready to date, agreeing to remain friends. Don’t worry, it didn’t end there. They talked for another hour or two. Sebastian came away from the conversation feeling an odd sense of peace. He admired how she expressed herself and her level of emotional intelligence. Onyx couldn’t stop thinking about how genuine and refreshing that talk had been. For someone she felt she didn’t know very well, she had never spoken so easily or so deeply. Still, she reminded herself that she had just made a promise to Jehovah — to devote one full year entirely to His service without distractions. And so, she did. And he made the most of his time pursuing goals. They both grew spiritually and kept Jehovah first. Though she tried to hide it, Onyx realized she still had feelings for Sebastian. She had thought about him off and on during that year, wondering if they would meet again, resisting the urge to reach out. He hadn’t done much on Zoom since the in-person service and meetings started again. But as chance would have it, he got sick and again started joining those same Zoom groups. They were able to see each other once more and the feelings they had put on pause grew again. They each worried the other might not feel the same, but their friends assured them that each did. Eventually, Sebastian reached out and told her he wanted to get to know her better — she agreed and they began to court. Though they were long distance, they didn’t rush. They took their time getting to know one another deeply, meeting each other’s families, and going on adventures together. From the very beginning, they made sure their spiritual routine remained a priority — reading family books together, studying regularly, and always supporting each other in their spiritual goals and meeting parts. Then one day, Sebastian took Onyx to her favorite park, surrounded by beautiful flowers, friends and family, with music from her favorite artist playing softly in the background. He spoke heartfelt words, full of love and sincerity, and asked her to marry him... and she said yes. And that, dear friends, is how their story came to be.