It all started in 2020—the year of COVID. Emiliano was a freshman, and I was a sophomore. At our school, students with a GPA above 3.5 earned "flex time," which was basically a free period during all the lunch groups to relax and have fun.

One February day, Emiliano saw me playing volleyball with my friends during flex time. Luckily, he was friends with some of my friends, so he and his buddy Dillon joined us to play.

About a week later, I realized how kind and handsome he was, so I decided to look him up on Snapchat and add him. Funny enough, at the exact moment I added him, he was planning to add me too but thought it might be weird. (I'm so glad I took the initiative!)

He added me back, and we started talking.

Fast forward two weeks—it was Courtwarming season. I invited him to a basketball game and introduced him to my mom, dad, and sister. I was so nervous since I’d never dated anyone before, but Emiliano seemed so calm, which helped me relax. My mom, of course, liked him right away.

A week later, we went to the community center with friends to hang out and play ping pong. I wasn’t very good, so I sat and watched. Emiliano noticed me sitting out and came to sit by me. Us being awkward 15-year-olds, we didn’t say much. Then, out of nowhere, our now-best-friend Dillon teased, "You guys should just hold hands already!" That was the first time I ever held hands with anyone—and it felt so special.

After that, he held my hand at school for the first time.

Then, on February 23rd, Emiliano asked me to be his girlfriend.

Fast forward to today (5 years later): We got engaged on November 23rd and are soon-to-be married on August 23rd!