Mariel and I were batchmates at university, though we were never in the same block, so we rarely crossed paths in class. We first became acquainted in our second year when I joined her block’s Business Calculus class, and we ended up in the same group for a final project. From then on, we knew of each other, but it was more familiarity than friendship. It wasn’t until our fourth year, when I again took one of her block’s classes in Cost Accounting, that we properly reconnected. A mutual friend reintroduced us, and we ended up sitting next to each other for the entire semester. It was a 7 a.m. class, and I would often bring breakfast to survive the early start. One morning, I had a Nutella sandwich and offered her some, and that was when I noticed she carefully removed the crusts. From then on, I made sure to take the crusts off for her. What began as a quiet friendship gradually grew into something deeper, built on understanding and genuine care for each other. On November 8, 2018, we officially became a couple, and the rest, as they say, is history.