We met at a club (Daquiris) September 2015...He was speaking with one of my relatives and he asked who I was. Lasharice introduced us...we started talking every blue moon.

After years of playful back-and-forth and watching each other from a distance, I finally slid into Caleb’s DMs on New Year's Eve 2018. By January 4th, 2019, we were on our first date. He picked me up, we had dinner at Bonefish Grill, went to a movie, and then ended up at this dive bar where we talked for hours. Honestly, it was the best date ever—so simple, but so much fun. From that night on, we were pretty much inseparable—just date after date after date!

I was the first to admit I had feelings, but Caleb was the one who actually said “I love you” first during a heated discussion. I’d say I was definitely on the same page, just a little afraid to say it out loud. But deep down, I knew I was in love with him. When he said it, though, I was beyond happy—felt like I’d been waiting for that moment.

That weekend was super hectic. We were celebrating five years together, just a month late, because we’d just moved to a new town and had a million things to get done. Honestly, the biggest challenge was finding an outfit for our dinner—my order didn’t come in on time, and I ended up shopping for hours before finally settling on something. Once we got to the hotel we both love, we got ready, and Caleb took me to dinner. As we were driving, I noticed he was taking me to places we’d been during the early stages of our relationship—the hotel, the restaurant—places that held a lot of special memories. When we pulled up to Bonefish Grill, where we had our first date, I got a little nostalgic. During appetizers, Caleb did something that totally threw me off—he ordered our food to go and said he wanted to watch the sunset. I was confused because he’s never really been one to care about sunsets, but I thought it sounded romantic, so I didn’t question it. We ended up at the PF Chang’s parking lot, and Caleb waved to a guy sitting on a bench who then started recording us. I felt my heart start to race, like something was going on, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. As we walked around the corner, I heard the opening chords of Beauty is Her Name by Dru Hill—My favorite song. And then, I saw it: a huge heart made of roses with a sign that said Marry Me, and a red carpet leading right to it. I was completely stunned. Caleb gave me a speech that melted my heart, and then he asked, “You’re the love of my life. Will you marry me?” Of course, I said YES! with all my heart. The whole thing was so beautiful and intimate, and I was in total shock. His aunts, my cousins, and a few close friends had helped pull it all together, and it honestly felt like something out of a fairy tale. But at the same time, it felt so us. It was perfect.