09/26/2024
4 years ago, you changed my life forever ๐โฃ
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A few days before September 26, 2020 and during a โsafeโ window during the pandemic, a man named Clarence and I matched on Hinge and started chatting.โฃ
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After discovering we had things in common, we agreed to get drinks the following Saturday, and maybe food if the date was going well.โฃ
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โAre you Mike?โ I heard as I crossed the street, heading to our agreed meeting spot, a restaurant in Koreatown. There he was. Weโll both never forget that moment.โฃ
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I ordered a spicy chicken rice bowl, my face dripping with sweat as we talked about our love for K-Pop and got to know each other better. Needless to say, there was chemistry.โฃ
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I took him back to my place where, after watching some TV, I asked โcan Iโฆ give you a kiss?โ He said yes. During a pandemic, kissing this stranger was worth the risk.โฃ
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Over the next year, as the world shut down and time stood still, we got to know each other more and more in what we now call our โsnowglobe,โ our own bubble in space and time in what felt like an endless and magical winter.โฃ
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We shared a fear, though, of whether we would still be compatible after the world opened back up and we returned to our โregular lives,โ meeting each other friends and going back to our hobbies. We would be.โฃ
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Over the next few years, we would drive to every small town within driving distance, visiting every cafe Clarence would spot out of the window of my Jeep. We would eventually travel farther to Quebec City, Ottawa, New York City and soon, Korea and Hong Kong.โฃ
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We would go rafting, ice climbing, tobogganing, make pizza, enjoy countless beef and broccoli dishes and indulge in spontaneous photoshoots together, navigating bad days and tough moments with patience over hostility.โฃ
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I love you so much, Clarence. You make me a better person and happier in more ways than you can imagine.โฃ
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You are wise, funny, silly, intelligent, deeply interesting, unique, creative, wildly talented, supportive, inspiring, loving and thoughtful.โฃ
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I am so lucky to call you my boyfriend and my best friend.โฃ
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Hereโs to another 4 (or 40) years, my love.โฃ
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Mike โค๏ธ
