It all started with an Instagram DM. Trase was scrolling through Vivian's story when something stood out—her handwriting. So, he sent a message that was as direct as it was unexpected: "Your handwriting is outstanding." Vivian responded, realizing they had much in common outside of being from the same small hometown. What started as a one-off conversation turned into daily texts and late-night Facetime calls that stretched until neither could keep their eyes open—somehow balancing it all between classes and essays on books they may or may not have read. As archetypal broke college students, their dates were simple: grocery runs, cereal-for-dinner nights, and UCLA dining commons (still one of the top three burritos Vivian has ever had). In hindsight, life was easy, and their biggest challenge was attending 8 AM lectures. By 2019, the two had to learn how to make long-distance work across continents. Vivian had always planned to study abroad for grad school, and Trase took it in stride. She moved to China while he stayed in LA to finish his degree. Time zones were a struggle, and late-night Facetime calls became routine. While Vivian was wrapping up her first quarter of grad school, Trase was applying for his Ph.D. They learned to hold the other's aspirations as their own: your dreams are my dreams. Then, 2020 happened. The world stopped, and they found themselves back in their small hometown. A place they strived to outgrow serendipitously drew them closer together. By 2021, they had ended up in San Francisco—separate apartments in the same city, which felt like a win. A year later, they took the next step and moved in together. Their home became the perfect spot for two people and one very spoiled cat, Eg. What began as a casual DM became a relationship that survived college, grad school, time zones, continents, Wi-Fi failures, and a pandemic and bloomed into a shared life in San Francisco.