Hayko and Michelle are longtime gamers (if you're unfamiliar with online gaming, you might need to do some research to understand this tale). Hayko was in his Watertown, MA apartment while Michelle was 1,448 miles away in her Springfield, MO apartment. They both fired up their Xbox consoles and sat down to enjoy some recreational gaming for the evening. Little did they know, they would meet their life partner! Michelle was randomly placed in an online group of four friends. They played that game together, the game ended, and they left the lobby with no expectations to every speak again.

A few lobbies later, Michelle recognized the players on the opposite team and decided to send a message to one of the players (spoiler it was Hayko) wishing them good luck. Hayko messaged back saying they didn't need the luck and to get ready to lose (Michelle did in fact lose lol). This started some friendly banter and eventually Hayko extended an invitation to Michelle to join the group. Michelle quickly became friends with everyone and integrated herself into Hayko's life.

Michelle and Hayko dated long distance from September 2019 until December 2021. They took frequent trips between Missouri and Massachusetts to visit each other before Michelle made the big move across country with their dog Himiko. They bought a house together in December of 2022 and Hayko proposed not too long after in November of 2023. 💕