We made a promise to each other, young and starry-eyed, born of a poem shared. Time moved to a memorable crawl the first time we met. We knew immediately, easily, innately, that we would be a part of each other’s lives in some way. Really, in any way that we could. We snuck kisses in the dark hallway within the restaurant we met at and worked at, as the Carolina summer heat crept its way through every crack it, as it always does in the South. The same restaurant we met two of our bridesmaids at. It's like our eyes met and everyone around us inherently, unequivocally knew. Our friends have been a part of our story since the start, eventually passing along vocalized love letters we were too scared to whisper to each other directly. We shared memories of a friendship first, but when we said "I love you" to each other as we did with our other friends, we could feel a difference in those words for each other. They sat in our mouths with a distinct heaviness from the weight they carried. After a few months of pretending our mutual infatuation was merely friendship (and a triple vodka-cranberry or two later), we simultaneously shared a moment of bravery, took a step off the ledge, and then suddenly we were living in that east coast duplex together with plans for a future. When we first began discussing where and how to plant our unified roots, Tay asked me where I wanted to go. I asked to be in a constant state of sunshine, though it felt impossible. When she landed her job in San Diego, I was finishing my bachelor’s degree, and we spent 9 long months loving each other from different time zones. Through those months of longing and distance, we grew closer, grew stronger, became better. She sacrificed everything, left behind everyone, to begin building a life for us in a place that once felt impossible. She left behind her lives scattered throughout Charlotte, Columbia, and Greensboro, among the comforting familiarity the South provided for both of us. The bravest thing I’ve yet to witness. We recently celebrated being together for four and a half years. Four and a half years of continually and consciously choosing, chasing, championing. Two years on the west coast with the sun in our eyes and salt in our hair. The day we met, the sun and the moon held hands and never let go. Our story is simple and concise yet complicated and complex, effortless, predestined, coincidental, intertwined, ours. It is our story. We thank everyone who has been with us since the beginning. The unconditional love and acceptance from our friends and family paved the way to where we are now. We made a promise to each other, young and starry-eyed, born of a poem shared. A promise we’ve kept for each other. A promise worth keeping.