In the summer of 2022, I found myself back in Nashville, visiting my family and attending my cousin’s baby shower. It was a joyous occasion, filled with laughter and celebration. Little did I know, it would also be the beginning of a love story I never saw coming.
One of my cousins, always the matchmaker, approached me with a glint in her eye. “Hey, there’s this guy who’s single. Want to talk to him?” she asked. I laughed it off, not interested in meeting anyone new. “I just want to have a great family trip while I’m here,” I replied. But my cousin was persistent. She went to my mom and said, “This is a great chance for Urvi to get to know someone since he also lives in Nashville!”
My mom, ever the supportive parent, came to me and said, “I think you should meet this guy.” Reluctantly, I agreed, “Fine, give the guy my number and tell him to text.”
The first text from Raj, my now-husband, was something I still remember vividly. “Hey Urvi, it’s Raj. Hope you know who I am, otherwise, this would be awkward.” I couldn’t help but smile at his candidness. We texted for a week, and then he asked me out on our first date. I chose a coffee shop near my house, thinking it would be a quick, easy meetup. I planned to leave after an hour, but little did I know, I would end up spending three hours with him, lost in conversation.
We went on a few more dates in Nashville before I had to return to Canada. On the day I was about to fly out, he asked to see me one last time. As I was heading to the airport, I received a text from him that made my heart flutter: “I already miss you and my heart feels so heavy now that you’re gone.” That was the moment I knew I was falling for him, hard.
Despite the distance, we continued our relationship, growing closer with each passing day. And on June 30, 2024, I married the boy who hated coffee but came to a coffee shop on our first date and drank coffee just for me. Our love story, unexpected and beautiful, was just beginning.
