Once upon a time, there were two healthcare workers. One was a charming and handsome PA named Gabe, and the other an adoringly beautiful nurse named Priyal. They both happened to start their Mount Sinai Hospital careers at the same time, October of 2019, but besides random passes in the halls, they weren't fated to be a part of each others' lives until three years later. In the meantime, Gabe would notice how completely focused Priyal would be while attending to her patients and recognized her numerous accomplishments that were awarded by the hospital. And in turn, Priyal seemed to not notice him at all. One of their first interactions was when Gabe congratulated Priyal on one of her many achievements, and Priyal replied with, "Who are you?". Gabe was shocked but not insulted. She became friendlier with him, giving him his now esteemed nickname Gabby. They remained friendly with one another, maintaining a friendship and nothing more until Gabe unexpectedly asked Priyal out on a date one day. However, Priyal said no. She wasn't in a place to begin dating and Gabe being the respectful person he is, graciously accepted the denial and gave her the space she needed. But somehow, a few months later, they found themselves talking more consistently, getting to know one another as just two individuals and somewhere along those lines the friendship grew, and the love blossomed. Their love was destined for the right time and they found each other in that moment of time again. Through dates over pizza and whale shark documentaries, endless talks in the car and many more experiences, their love grew into the beautiful story we are all so lucky to be a part of today. Their love is a testament to friendship, timing, and destiny and we all get to witness their union this coming year.

One of the most beautiful parts to this proposal story is the little moments and planning that led up to it.

Priyal knew pretty early on that Gabe was someone she could spend the rest of her life with. A month into them dating, she had a follow-up appointment with the doctors to make sure she was still in the clear for her health. The appointment was really early in the morning but despite only dating for a month, Gabe called her to pray with her over the phone. The sentiment made her cry and touched her heart because no one had ever done such a thing with her besides her mom. In that moment she knew he was someone she could spend the rest of her life with.

As Gabe sat and thought of the myriad of Priyal's qualities that make him fall in love with her every single day, it was her thoughtfulness that captured his heart. The simplest of memories came to him, remembering how one day while warming up food for the two of them, Gabe had lazily left his in tupperware but lovingly placed hers in a plate. When Priyal saw this, she refused to eat until both of their foods were on the same plate. In her words, "In my culture, sharing food grows our love and I won't eat unless we eat out of the same plate."

In Gabe's words, Priyal is all the good in the world that he is not and that makes the decision to stand by her for the rest of his life easy. But one thing is for sure, for all the good Priyal is, Gabe is humbly so as well.

Asking for a woman's hand in marriage isn't apart of Indian customs because marriages are usually a family affair. Most of the time, the relationship grows from a place where two families have already decided that the match would be best suited. However, Gabe still felt it was necessary to seek the blessings of Priyal's family, who had already given it to him ten times over from just meeting and spending time with him. And to know Priyal, is to know that the extension of her family is not limited to her parents and her brother but extended to her aunt, uncle, and cousins who are sisters more than anything else. Knowing this, Gabe not only asked for her parents' blessings, but the rest of the family's as well. And they gave it without a doubt of hesitation.

The day of the proposal was as crazy as the couple. Gabe trying to have everything perfectly planned and adhere to a schedule, was pushing Priyal to dress nicely, get her nails done from before, leave the house in a timely fashion and Priyal of course gave him a hard time throughout it all. Even as they approached the Botanical Gardens, she went on and on with endless questions that Gabe had to simply sit through or else he would have given it all away. And even then, as they walked to the private area that he had reserved for them, with the moment settling between them that this was the moment, this was the time they had both been waiting for, they both fell into a haze and a bubble between the two that the details of what was said, and the reactions are lost within that moment. If it weren't for the photographer, they would both not be able to bring to life that moment because they were simply clouded in love.

To this day, Priyal has Gabe propose to her over and over again any time she puts the ring back on, and Gabe happily does it every single time.