It didn’t start like a love story. At least, not the kind anyone would notice at the time. Back in middle school, our worlds brushed past each other quietly, two kids from different private Catholic schools, living parallel lives. The only reason our paths crossed at all was because both our schools were small, so the basketball teams merged. Maria was there on the sidelines, a cheerleader with pom-poms and routines, while Patrick was on the court, focused on the game. We knew of each other more than we truly knew each other, shared glances, familiar faces in a crowded gym, the kind of recognition that doesn’t feel important until years later when you realize it was the very beginning. And then, just like that, life moved on. Different schools, different paths, different lives. For a while, our story paused before it ever really began. Years later, in the middle of a world that felt completely upside down, during COVID, everything changed. Out of all the ways our lives could reconnect, it happened through a screen. What started as catching up turned into something neither of us expected. Hours passed like minutes on FaceTime, late nights filled with laughter, stories, and the kind of conversations that feel easy in a way that’s rare. We didn’t have the distractions of the world, just each other, getting to know one another in a way we never had before. By the time we finally met in person for our first date, it didn’t feel like meeting someone new. It felt like coming back to someone we had always known. And then, on the second date, no hesitation, no games, Patrick asked Maria to be his girlfriend. It was simple. Certain. Right. From there, our story didn’t slow down, it grew. What started in a gym years ago and reignited through a phone screen became something real, something steady. The kind of love built not just on moments, but on time, effort, and choosing each other every day. Now, our life together is full in the best ways with shared space, shared routines, shared love. These shared things were made warmer by our favorite living beings: our dog, Bucky, always nearby, and our cat, Pumpkin, adding her own kind of personality to our world. It’s not just about how we met anymore. It’s about how, somehow, we found our way back to each other and built a life that feels like it was always meant to happen.