Some people meet their person when they least expect it, we just didn’t realize we’d already met ours years ago.

We first met back in middle school. We were kind of friends, mostly connected through mutual friends, and part of each other’s world for a little while, but never anything more than that. Life eventually took us in different directions. We grew up, had our own experiences, and for a long time, went our separate ways.

Over a decade later, life brought us back together and gave us an opportunity we couldn’t ignore. We saw each other at an event, and honestly, it was pretty much a done deal from there. There was something familiar and comfortable between us, but also completely new and exciting — like coming home to someone you didn’t realize you’d been missing.

Before we were ever officially together, we had one long conversation that changed everything. It wasn’t small talk or a simple catch-up after all those years. We cut straight to the real stuff: what we wanted in life, what mattered to us, and the kind of future we were working toward.

We were both focused on becoming the best versions of ourselves before committing to anyone, but that night we realized we would grow into those best versions together.

From that moment, we both knew we’d found something real.

Ours is a story about the right timing, growth, and the way great things have a habit of showing up when you least expect them.

- The Lals

P.S. Brownie points if you can spot both of us in our class photo from 2009 <3