At the start, we were in very different places. Christian was 21, still in college, with a larger-than-life energy that naturally drew people in. Taylor was 23, freshly home after a year living in Spain, focused on starting her career and finding her rhythm. She thought he was handsome, but she was shy - and a little intimidated - quietly waiting for him to make the first move. Christian, on the other hand, knew that if he was going to pursue Taylor, it would be with intention. He saw something in her that felt lasting, and he wasn’t interested in anything casual. So our story began slowly, built on patience, timing, and moments that almost happened before the timing finally felt right. After crossing paths a few times in 2019 and the beginning of 2020, something finally clicked. In February, Christian knew he was going to pursue Taylor - he just… hadn’t told her yet. We ran into each other again in March at Jorge and Bibi’s house, where we shared our very first kiss. Soon after, the world changed as COVID shut everything down, yet we stayed connected. Our weekly messages became a quiet thread between us - something neither of us fully understood yet, but both of us felt. It wasn’t until Christian’s birthday weekend that things really shifted. He invited Taylor to join him on Jorgie’s boat in the Keys. Lockdown was still in full swing, so it definitely wasn’t a typical boat day. Taylor even brought her cousin Monica along as her unofficial chaperone. Somewhere between the salty breeze and Christian’s boat playlist, Monica looked at Taylor and said, “You need to give this a chance. He’s basically the male version of you.” And just like that, something shifted. From then on, we talked every single day - texting, FaceTiming, and getting to know each other in a way that felt effortless and surprisingly natural. On June 12, 2020, Christian asked Taylor to be his girlfriend. The following weekend, we returned to the Keys with friends, not knowing we'd all end up getting COVID. It canceled what was supposed to be our first official date at Sapore di Mare. Instead, we spent our two-week quarantines locked in our separate rooms, having nightly FaceTime “dates” - ordering takeout from the same restaurants, watching Netflix together, and being each other’s support system through a scary and confusing time. Even apart, we were growing together. Once we were cleared, we reunited in the Keys for July 4th weekend. The Keys quickly became our happy place - where our relationship grew stronger, deeper, and, honestly, very fast. We always joke that our relationship was “microwaved” - intense, quick, and surprisingly successful. Christian proposed on September 12, 2025, 5 years and 3 months into our story. And now, here we are - proof that sometimes love shows up during a global pandemic, on a boat day in the Keys, after crossing paths until the timing was finally right. And truthfully? We wouldn’t change a single thing.