Some love stories don’t really start in a single moment—they just grow quietly over time until one day you realize they’ve been there all along. We met when we were 13, two kids in the same freshman classrooms, just passing through each other’s lives without knowing what was coming. Over time, through mutual friends and long conversations that didn’t feel like much at the time, we became close. And somewhere in all of that, it turned into something more. Our first date was in July before senior year, and after that, things just made sense in a way neither of us really questioned. We’ve been side by side ever since. Life has moved forward, but always together—graduating high school, getting accepted into UF, moving into our first apartment, graduating college, and eventually making the move to Texas. Even in the in-between moments, we somehow always ended up close—once even as neighbors, like it was never really a question where we were supposed to be. Now at 23, we’ve grown up together in every way that matters. A cat, a dog, careers we’re building, and a life that feels familiar in the best way. We started as friends, became best friends, and somewhere along the way, became everything else too. And now we get to stand here, surrounded by the people we love most, celebrating something that’s been growing quietly with us all along.