Zil worked at the San Francisco William's Sonoma location right in front of Union Square during the Chinese New Year's annual parade. The location had just renovated the 3rd floor to hold events where a party had hired Taste Catering, the company Kellen was employed at. When it was time for closing, Zil attempted to get into the storage in the back room to stock the floor only to realize the caterers had blocked the entire hallway. Exhausted & annoyed from having to babysit all the intoxicated party members trying to make trouble on her floor, she began barking orders at the crew to clear the way so she could finish up & go home. Shortly thereafter, she caught a glimpse of what seemed to be their manager headed her way, she assumed to scold her, but instead he asked her if she was a writer. Kellen had noticed she was writing stories for a good chunk of the evening & wanted to learn more. Surprised at the interest in her hobbies, they agreed to meet up for coffee a few days later.

The first coffee meeting turned into a sushi night after realizing Zil couldn't have coffee, which turned into a 3 hour event with a walk around Union Square. They clicked & started adventuring together at least once a week for the next 6 months. Somewhere along the line, hanging out evolved into dating & the two have been inseparable since. Kellen had always been a hopeless romantic interested in girls, but had struggled communicating a balanced intention. On the other hand, Zil had been a difficult personality growing up who believed not only that men were useless, but also that no one could possibly find love with her. Against the odds, they both overcame their perceptions & weakness together in persuit of a better future.

Life tried it's hardest to get these two to meet, but it took 25 years to make that happen. Kellen spent many of his summers as a child with his grandparents who lived in San Jose, 2 minutes down the street from where Zil's childhood home was located. They both frequented the same nickel arcade & his grandparent's house was on Zil's bike route to her middle school. Both families relocated from California to Colorado within 2 years of one another & 20 minutes from each other. Kellen worked at a restaurant Zil & her family frequented in Monument. Zil also had the opportunity to attend the same high school as him, but passed to take another opportunity. It wasn't until Kellen's family moved back to the Bay Area & Zil attended a college for her Master's Degree that they finally met. On top of all these missed chance meetings, their birthdays are only one day apart with Kellen's on September 26th, & Zil's being on the 27th. Regardless of its twists & turns, life found a way.