How We Met
Kev and I met our freshmen year of high school on a warm September night outside the gym of Saint Joe’s “Back to School Dance.” It was brief, casual, and every bit as awkward as you’d expect from two freshmen going to their first-ever high school dance. But even then, our mutual friend joked (or so we thought) that we should date “because you’re both Indian.”
Throughout high school, we continued to bump into each other at mutual friend hangouts and parties. We would joke about educating our non-Desi friends on Indian culture and briefly talk from time to time, usually sharing songs or links to Russell Peters videos. But it was the end of junior year when we became best friends.
As a member of the junior class student council board, I was required to go to junior prom along with the rest of the class representatives who helped plan the event—this meant I had to find a date. After a couple of friends let me down, I decided to ask Kev since he already knew all the friends at my table. We had a great time and started talking a lot more often. When winter formal and our senior proms rolled around and we were each other’s go-to dates. He became one of my best friends by the end of high school.
On July 11, 2012, Kev asked me to be his girlfriend, and our story together began. One week later, I left for Philly for orientation week at Drexel University, and soon after, Kevin was in Newark, NJ for college. We continued our long-distance relationship in college, taking turns visiting each other by train or bus. We finally had the chance to be in the same city when Kevin joined me in Philadelphia when our time in medical school overlapped. Now as a resident, I’m in NYC and Kev is in Jersey, but home is always when we are together.
How They Asked
Our family and friends have been a huge part of our story from the very beginning. From our high school friends that introduced us, to the countless moments with our college friends and medical school friends, to our families who have watched us grow to be the people we are today… I knew that I’d want them there with me for my engagement.
On May 1, 2021, a few months shy of our nine-year anniversary, I planned a weekend in Philly with some of my best friends from college. Little did I know, they were all in on the proposal. We were going to get late lunch with a few friends in Manayunk, so we planned to walk across the Manayunk Bridge to get there. Kev gave me the best surprise of my life when I saw my friends and family standing in small groups on the bridge, each group holding a picture from all of the years we have been together, 2012-2021. Every direction I turned was another face I didn’t expect to see.
It was the most perfect way to celebrate together with family and friends, especially after over a year of everyone being apart due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
My reaction seeing all our friends and family waiting for us at the bridge.
