It's difficult to say exactly when love begins. For me, there are four different ways of looking at this quandary.

You can ask me when I first fell in love with Paige and my response would be simple. It was love at second sight... The first time I had to overcome the weirdness of the 15-year-old girl standing in front of me carrying a rope sling bag and adventure sandals. The next time we saw each other though it meant a girl was interested in me, which, at the time, was enough to win my devotion.

Alternatively, you can ask me when I think Paige fell in love with me and still my response remains simple. She decided she would be able to at some point love me as soon as I had confessed my own love for her, about four months after we started dating and nine months after we had started going out. I say this because, naturally, she replied, concomitantly, "I love you too," but, there was something that told me I would still need to prove myself worthy.

Likewise, if you ask Paige when I first loved her or when she first fell in love with me she would tell you something akin to we have always and will always love each other and even if we hadn't met we would've found each other eventually.

Whichever version you choose to believe remember that our story began in November of 2017 when a very young kid decided to pursue a girl. She tested him constantly until he sat her down, asked her to date him, and founded a relationship based on two principles... This relationship has weathered five years of distance, endless nights of missing each other, and counting, a clashing of cultures, a language barrier, and all the blessings and tragedies life has thrown our way.

-Alex

It’s difficult to say exactly when love begins. As I remember, 16-year-old Alex was impossibly observant, kind, and wickedly smart. He noticed things. When I missed class, he’d bring me my homework. He also tutored me in various subjects throughout school, and clearly remembered my outfit choices in too much detail.

Alex had dreams that stretched far beyond Virginia. When he talked about them, they never sounded like distant hopes or possibilities. Through his determined lens, they were plans—facts, really. Even back then, he carried this quiet confidence that made everything he pursued feel sure. And piece by piece we started building a life together.

For us, our journey came with what sometimes felt like disproportionate heartache. We have navigated grief between exams, finals, graduate school, and distance. We've balanced sorrow and joy and the kind of growth that only happens when you face life side by side.

Through it all, we’ve kept glimpses of our teenage selves. There’s still a glimmer of the boy who would make me Potbelly sandwiches at his first part-time job, the one who felt he had to prove himself worthy. And I hope he still sees a girl who owns too many pairs of Chaco sandals and believes he can speak life into any dream.

At the very least, our engagement—complete with my sparkly purple Taylor Swift concert nails—says everything you need to know about us. We are teenagers who grew up together, young adults who are working hard to lay a strong foundation for our future, and two people who somehow never lost the magic of who they were when it all began.

-Paige