When Nam stepped onto a school bus to Orlando for a Technology Student Association conference in July 2008, Sucheta definitely did not fall in love at first sight. The next time they saw each other was two years later, in Hooper Hall at the Mississippi School for Math and Science. Sucheta recognized him as “that guy from TSA,” and Nam recognized her as the girl who kept giving him weird looks. This continued for a while, but before long they became friends—all because of a conversation about crushes on other people— and then became inseparable. They began playing tennis, eating meals together, and hanging out in the same friend group. They became best friends. When high school started winding down and Sucheta started distancing herself from Nam, so that she wouldn’t be as sad when they had to leave each other, Nam realized what his life would be like without Sucheta in it. He knew he did love her-- as more than just a friend. However, senior year continued to draw to a close, and Nam and Sucheta began preparing to go their separate ways, as Sucheta planned to attend UAB and Nam planned to attend UVA. As a parting gift, Nam gave Sucheta the surprise of a bulletin board filled with fortunes from all of the times they went out for Chinese food that year. Sucheta knew that she would always remember he special friendship with “Nam from MSMS,” but as she walked across the stage at graduation, she vowed to move past her feelings for him. All of Nam and Sucheta’s vacillating feelings came to a head when they attended a graduation party at a friend’s house that night. One thing leads to another, and they ended up confessing their feelings for each other. In the days following, Sucheta was convinced that due to the two of them heading off to college, starting a relationship was a bad idea, and wouldn’t work. Nam spent those days trying to convince her, asking her to “just give it a try.” Sucheta agreed that they would try… and they have been trying ever since.