On October 30th, 2021 at approximately 1:03pm on a chilly and rainy Saturday afternoon, Matthew saw Romello as a friend suggestion on Facebook and decided to "slide in his DMs" with one word: "Handsome". 24 minutes later, Romello would respond and unknown to us, it would begin a lifetime together.

When Romello and Matthew first started talking, Romello was upfront—he only wanted friendship. But two weeks later, they decided to finally meet. Their first outing was at El Nopal, where Matthew tried to make a good impression by paying for dinner. Truthfully, the food didn’t wow them, but the real magic happened after. Sitting in the parking lot, they talked for hours, completely losing track of time. By the end of the night, past midnight, Romello drove Matthew home and shyly asked if he wanted a kiss. They shared a quick peck goodnight.

From then on, their connection grew fast. They texted and called constantly, and made a habit of seeing each other at least once a week. Sometimes they’d go out to eat, other times they’d just drive around and talk for hours. Romello even got in trouble at Best Buy for sneaking calls to Matthew on the work line, pretending they were customer callbacks. Eventually, he quit and picked up food delivery, which gave them more time to spend together.

That Christmas, things took a turn. Romello caught COVID, which kept them apart for two long weeks. It was during that time apart that both of them realized—they were in love. When Romello recovered, they went out to lunch at Drake’s on January 6, 2022. Afterward, Romello asked Matthew if he had to go home. He didn’t, so he tagged along for deliveries. With bad road conditions that night, the two ended up staying in a hotel for two days. It was there, for the first time, that they said “I love you” and officially became a couple.

By March, Romello’s lease was ending, and Matthew jokingly suggested moving in together. The “joke” quickly turned into reality. They searched for a home with enough space for both of their dogs and found a suitable house a month later.

In August 2024, they took their first vacation together to Myrtle Beach. It was both a getaway and a chance to visit family. One day, they spent time in Charleston with Matthew’s brother Cory, his wife Alyssa, and their kids—though unbeknownst to Romello, they were all part of a big plan.

The group ended up at Sullivan’s Island, a quiet beach. While Alyssa distracted Romello, Cory helped Matthew stage a “message in a bottle” proposal. At first, a wave carried the bottle away, but it eventually washed back to shore. Matthew spotted it, called Romello over, and told him to pick it up. Inside was a note that read: Marry me?

When Romello looked up, Matthew was on one knee with a ring. At first, Romello thought it was another one of Matthew’s playful jokes. But then he saw Alyssa filming, and realized it was real.

“I don’t know what to say!” Romello gasped.

“A yes would be nice,” Matthew replied.

Romello said yes. Hand in hand, they walked the beach together—newly engaged, and ready for forever.