He moved back to Florida and settled in Sarasota to be near the beach and his beloved family in 2016, after a brief departure from the US.

She moved to Sarasota to be near the beach and her beloved family in 2017, after a short departure from the sweet South.

They were neighbors, but didn't yet know it. In April, just one month after moving into Downtown Sarasota, Cecilia passed Andre as she walked down the street toward the historic Burns Court Theatre. He was sitting on the steps in front of his house waiting for an iRide (transportation in Downtown). He says she greeted him after looking his way for awhile. She says she greeted him after she felt his eyes engulfing her for awhile. Each said hello and they went along their separate ways on that beautiful Sunday afternoon.

C: On Friday, April 21 I was wanting to go dancing so badly. Live music was flowing into my open windows on the bayfront from a nearby venue (perhaps O'Leary's or Marina Jacks). I decided to take a study break (I was board prepping at the time) and walk Jazmine down to the shore. There I ran into a new friend who invited me out for the night. I had recently decided to not decline invites, so out I went. As luck, or fate, or I say the Lord would have it, I ended up at Latin night at Classico!! One of the girls I was with, sent me on my way to dance with a guy. A guy with a broken foot. A guy in a boot, because his foot was broken! I thought wow, this guy is awesome; many people won't even dance, and here is this sweet, handsome, and vibrant guy dancing with a broken foot!! They basically had to force us off the dance floor to close the place that night. I asked him to walk me home, and that's when we realized we were neighbors. "You were sitting on your steps in that boot, staring at me on Sunday!!" We spent that night, as we do most nights since then, talking, laughing, and learning more about one another.

A: It was Friday night, and after a long week at work, my then roommate Bruno and I decided to go out. We both like music, and Classico was only a few blocks away from our place, so that is where we decided to go. Although the DJ there can be a hit or miss, that particular night they were playing latin music. I was so excited that even a broken foot wouldn't keep me off the dance floor. And that is where I met her. So bright, so alive, so excited to be there. Her presence lit up the room, I could just feel it. Her energy was so vibrant that I just couldn't keep my eyes off of her. Lucky me, she liked to dance. And dance we did, all night long, until they had to almost kick us out of the place. The rest is history, everyone knows how inseparable we have been since then. It was around date 7 (I counted) that I just knew we were going to spend the rest of our lives together.