Ryan and Shirley’s story began through a mutual connection—Shirley's brother, who happened to be one of Ryan’s pharmacy classmates. They started dating in San Francisco amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, which added a unique layer to their budding relationship. Just five months into their relationship, Ryan had to relocate to Texas to complete a fellowship. Despite the distance, they both felt they had something worth pursuing. With their jobs being mostly remote, they took turns flying to see each other each month, savoring 2-3 week long dates at a time and learning how valuable time together truly is. Eventually, they moved into their first shared apartment in New Jersey and have cherished their "daily dates" ever since.