Our Story
Hi everybody! This is Allison. I asked Nicholas if he wanted to write from his perspective or if we should both share our sides. He replied, “Your perspective would be more engaging and have more details,” haha. So here I am — Allison, telling Our Story from my point of view.


Nicholas and I met in Chess Club during our junior year of high school. He was new to Harlem, so I didn’t know much about him. He was super quiet, always bundled up in layers, wore blue light glasses, and all I really knew was that he was insanely good at chess.


Fast forward to the fall of that year: I wrecked my car, and it had to go in the shop. That meant I had to stay for 7th-period junior privilege so I could go home at the same time as my sisters. My favorite teacher, Mr. Williams, had planning during that period, so I asked if I could hang out in his classroom — and he said yes.


Well… guess who else stayed in Mr. Williams’ room during 7th period? Yep, Nicholas. That’s where his shell started to crack, and I began to get to know him. Mr. Williams and I swear we heard him whispering things under his breath — complimenting me or agreeing that I shouldn’t be in the relationship I was in. Then my friends started pointing out that he talked to me and no one else.


I had a boyfriend at the time, so once my car was fixed, I kind of avoided Nicholas — because there really was something about him. Then COVID hit, and we didn’t come back to school until August of our senior year.


Senior year was weird. We only went to school every other day, but since both our last names are toward the end of the alphabet, we ended up going on the same days — though we didn’t have any classes together. I didn’t see him again until another car wreck (lol), which led to me staying after school in the library during 7th period. That’s where I found Nicholas doing puzzles. I joined him, and little by little, we started doing homework together and just became really good friends.


Meanwhile, I was still in a relationship that honestly needed to end. Everyone kept telling me Nicholas liked me — and I was in full denial. But then my boyfriend at the time and I broke up, and I ran into the library crying… and Nicholas started crying too. I’ll never forget Mrs. Waters saying, “That boy loves you.”
From there, we started hanging out in Mr. Williams’ room again during 7th period. Nicholas would come to the library during 3rd when I was there. We had become the best of friends — with definite tension, haha. I was just waiting for him to say something. But, of course, he was still incredibly quiet and reserved.


I’ve asked him since if he was ever going to tell me how he felt, and he said, “Nope.” 😅 Thankfully, Mrs. Waters told me, just like with her husband, I was going to have to be the one to say something. So here’s the exact conversation:


Allison: “Hey, so… hypothetical question.”
Nicholas: “Yeah?”
Allison: “If I told you I liked you, what would your response be?”
Nicholas: “I’d be shocked… but I’d tell you I like you too.”
Allison: “Okay, well… I like you.”
Nicholas: “I like you too.”


A month later, he asked me to be his girlfriend — even though he didn’t realize he needed to ask. He just thought it was known. 😂


And the rest is history. Four years later, we’ve been through ups and downs, but we’re stronger than ever. We’ve grown so much — both as individuals and as partners. I can’t wait for more adventures and to build a life together.


I love you, Nicholas. 💛