How We Met
We met at a Speakeasy in New York City. Funny story – he asked to buy me a drink and I said yes. 30 mins into *one of the best* conversations I’ve ever had at a bar, I realized I needed to leave for a friend’s birthday out of the city so when he asked to buy another drink, I said “I’d love to but I need to head out for my friend’s birthday”. On my way over on the Amtrak, I realized how it must’ve come off – the typical “a friend needs me” blow off so I texted him saying I had the best time and would love to see him again (Yes, I sent the first text & Thank God for that cuz he now tells me that night when I abruptly left, he thought he’d never see me again). We went on a second date (on a week night) at a rooftop and talked for 8 hours constantly (I remember because I went to work the next day with 2 hours of sleep). I’m a big believer in gut feelings and I think the way we opened up to each other only the second time we met, felt like we had known each other all along and signified a connection that now looking back, either of us didn’t think we’d ever find.
Fast forward 2 months of casually seeing each other, he asks me if I’d like to go to Boston with him for a UMiami/Boston College game (I went to UM & he’s from Boston), and I remember thinking to myself “why not?”. I don’t think he had any plans for me meeting the family (I know, “too soon”) but as fate would have it, we passed by his sister’s house for a few minutes – and those few minutes were a game-changer. Seeing him interact and play with his 4 nieces, something hit me – I realized that my heart was at peace around him and that he embodied every single quality I always imagined (& hoped) for my partner to have. I remember this distinct calming feeling that I had never had in this country so far (I’m from India, came to the U.S for college and stayed for work after) – a feeling thatI was home.
2 years of dating, 1 very awkward-at-first incredible vacation to Iceland to meet my Punjabi (Indian) family, 1 cross-country road trip to move from New York to Los Angeles, and a million adventures later, he finally popped the question.
How They Asked
We had definitely talked about a future together, but with COVID-19, all our travel plans for this year had obviously been cancelled. However, we kept this one trip to visit his family’s lake house in Newport, Vermont at the border of Montreal, Canada. It was the most grounding, peaceful, away-from-all-the-noise trip that we both needed but I wasn’t expecting him to propose at all – didn’t ever think he’d be able to figure out the logistics during a Pandemic. So one of the days, he said we’d take the boat out to a nice restaurant on the water so he told me to dress up nice. Me being super excited to even put on a real dress after 4 months of PJs and being able to eat out, I obviously (and thankfully) put on a nice outfit. The boat ride was beautiful and he got pretty sentimental – which in the moment, I chalked off to him having a few beers. Little did I know, we got to the boating dock and his 4 nieces were holding up a “Will you Marry Me?” sign. I don’t think my heart has ever beaten that fast. I looked at him and he went down on one knee. I swear to God I have absolutely no memory of what he said (and made him repeat later – lol) but all I remember is crying. He was down there for about 5 mins and all I remember feeling in the moment was grateful and stunned. Then he repeats the question and I continue crying so he goes “I guess that’s a yes…?”. Of course I said the loudest YES (with more tears). We celebrated with his family and got back on the boat for the most stunning sunset I have ever seen in my life – with a view of Canadian mountains.
Of course finding him and saying yes to marrying him was an absolute dream come true for me but to top it off, I found out later that he had FaceTimed my uncle in India, who’s always been a father to me, but especially so after my dad passed away 8 years ago, and asked him for his blessings before proposing. He also imported an ethically-sourced diamond ring from South Africa, which happens to be my favorite country in the whole world. These gestures are two amongst the million reasons I love him more every day.
