OUR DAY

We met in a season where neither of us were looking and didn't think much of it. Mutual friends and family put one another on the map of awareness. We spotted each other at the grocery store, an outdoor concert, a volunteer event, and then finally almost half a year after learning about each other's existence, Elijah reached out over Instagram. He commented on the way Hannah had made a point about platonic male female friendship on her story (funny). And the way we interacted from there... just clicked. COVID had just hit the globe, so we became fast friends, talking for hours on the phone, then taking long walks, going on drives with nowhere to go, and grabbing takeout from local businesses. Before we knew it we held hands. We confessed romantic feelings over pottery lessons. We shared a secret kiss. And by Fall of 2020 we had been through one of the hardest years side by side. That’s pretty much when we thought, "Okay. This could be something."

FROM HANNAH'S PERSPECTIVE: We had both recently voiced the desire to establish a once a month stay-cation or camping excursion, when Elijah suggested that we have a Malibu day. He organized a place for us to stay on the coast Saturday night. We slept in Sunday morning, energized by a jaunt to Blue Bottle Coffee. We sat and sipped our brew peacefully in a stone courtyard, crafted for playing chess. A crisp fall wind circulated us making the pages of our books flutter, and our curls tangle. After stretching our legs, we went off to lunch, and then the Getty Villa. It was late afternoon and the sinking sun casted long shadows across the museums architecture and statues. We could have mulled here for hours if Elijah hadn't voiced wanting to catch the sunset at the beach just across the way. A highly romantic suggestion on his behalf, and slightly out of the ordinary. Looking back I made it quite difficult for him because I wanted to stop and grab a dirty chai, or pet a coy fish in the walkway pond, or take a photo of the changing trees. Finally we found our way to the desired golden hour beach. It was quiet, and sparse of people, with black boulders speckled about. We sat on one of them and combed through the day's events, it's realistic highs and lows. We agreed upon a short stroll, but Elijah insisted upon a hug near the edge of the water. He clung tight to me, and I knew that he was nervous. His hand kept lovingly brushing where my long hair met the small of my back. He started to speech, and I asked him, "Is what I think is happening, happening...?", and at this he got down on his knee and spoke soothing words that will be treasured in my heart. We both don't remember them verbatim, thanks to the nerves, but we both agree that we felt such peace. At the sound of a holler, we glanced towards the rock clusters. Heads popped out from hiding! Our dear friends Martha and John Bibel were there to capture our moment, alongside my brother, Zach. In the midst of the jubilee Elijah let it slip that there was a surprise gathering waiting for us next. He felt bad about this, but I was grateful for the moments of rest and preparation for the unknown on the drive over. I couldn't stop trembling. We arrived to a lovely minimalistic house in Sherman Oaks, where we opened the door to 75 or so beaming faces. Some of our favorite humans, friends and family had gathered in celebration and affirmation of our love! It was the most surreal and potent expressions of love. Participating and viewing people mixing, photographing, mingling, eating, drinking, dancing and being merry, formed a core memory for Elijah and I. It was a the sweetest glimpse into what our future day, and our entire life together, could hold.