We met in November 2016 at the Brooklyn Bridge. Although we were both from the same hometown and even had mutual friends, we had never crossed paths until that chilly evening in New York. Everything flowed naturally between us. A few weeks later, he invited me to Coney Island — which we now like to call our first date. I remember we talked about everything, staying there until almost 9pm. That’s when he told me he had to return to Venezuela to defend his thesis. I felt sad, but I decided to keep enjoying his company and the city. He became my personal tour guide. As the day of his departure grew closer, fate gave us a few extra days together thanks to a delayed flight. But soon, the moment came. Just like a movie scene, we said goodbye in the airport without knowing if we would ever see each other again. Then in April 2017, Julio showed up by surprise at my doorstep — and from that day on, we were never apart again. After four months of distance and silence, we became each other’s everything. At just 23 and 20 years old, we were two young adults trying to build a life together in a new country. Through the years we’ve shared countless happy moments — buying our first home, adopting our first dog, traveling, endless date nights. We’ve also faced hard times — losing a loved one, visa struggles. But through it all, we’ve always been each other’s biggest support and number one fan. Whenever we look back at our story, we laugh at how unbelievable it is that we found each other so far from home. And every time, we come to the same conclusion: it was simply God’s plan.