It was August 2015, and I remember sitting in my car, outside Kyle’s apartment waiting for our first date. The time was 6:20; our date was set for 6 p.m. I was worried I was being stood up. Kyle says the delay was due to a door not opening, so he drove his car to meet me (little did I know that being late is a habit with Kyle, no matter the circumstances). Being unfamiliar with the city, I remember thinking that he was so cool, introducing me to all these new places. After tacos, margaritas and endless conversations, we knew we wanted to keep seeing each other, but also to take things slow. But things don’t always go how you plan.


My mom never had the chance to meet Kyle, but I think she would have loved him. Before one of our earlier dates, she looked at me and said, “he makes you happy. Something’s different about this one.” About a month into dating, my mom went into the hospital for what my family and I thought would be something minor. After a couple of weeks, my worst nightmare happened: my mother died. I was 23, Kyle was 25, so I told him that I understood if he wanted to break this off, because we were about to jump several milestones in this relationship. But he refused to leave. That first year was rough. He was patient and put up with me at my worst.


That year, I lost a crucial part of my life, but I was fortunate enough to have just found someone who I cannot imagine life without. I know my mom is happy for me, because all she wanted for me was to be happy. (Charlie’s a fan too.)

After several days of great conversation over text, I wanted my first date with Brian to be perfect, but it did not start off that way. I was running a little late and Brian was waiting—a preview of our future together. When I got to the lobby of my apartment building, the foyer was blocked, and you couldn’t get out the front door. I was panicking a little and decided that I would have to leave out the back parking lot and pick Brian up from his car, instead of him driving that night. But when we got to the Central West End, and before getting out of my car to go to the restaurant, I turned to him and said, “let’s just kiss now and break the tension.” From there, it was the best first date I’d ever been on. I was pretty sure I found someone very special.

Our first year together was difficult, with Brian’s mom passing and both of us trying to navigate that grief at much too young an age to be ready for it.

Four years later, my dad died unexpectedly and my family was shaken to its core. With all the pain Brian experienced losing his mom, there was a tiniest of silver linings: Brian was able to help me navigate the pain of losing my dad.

Some people say that one day, you’ll meet someone who feels like home. They will break down your walls and, in turn, they will bring down theirs. They will introduce you to new things, things you didn’t know you wanted or needed. Brian feels like home.

Brian also brought our dog, Charlie, into my life—for which I’ll be forever grateful.