The story of us

…as told by Ella
We have been aware of each other’s existence for about 2 years before we finally met physically in 2016. The meeting was brief and fun though short- lived. Fast forward to 2018, we reconnected and that was when we actually got talking as we saw each other more. After I relocated, our conversations continued, as we always checked in on one another, talked about school, work, and life in general. Interestingly, the 8-hour time difference worked out well for us, as he slept late most days and I worked late, so we spent the time conversing....

× The Story of us …as told by Ella
We have been aware of each other’s existence for about 2 years before we finally met physically in 2016. The meeting was brief and fun though short- lived. Fast forward to 2018, we reconnected and that was when we actually got talking as we saw each other more. After I relocated, our conversations continued, as we always checked in on one another, talked about school, work, and life in general. Interestingly, the 8-hour time difference worked out well for us, as he slept late most days and I worked late, so we spent the time conversing. In 2020 during the lockdown, the frequency and duration of our calls increased even more. I am a chatterbox, so I could go on and on, but he would listen to me go and even engage me (side note, he doesn't like talking a lot, but we could be on a call for hours). Talking to him was just so easy and felt very natural, I could be myself with him. Before long, I started to like him a tad bit too much for a friend, but it felt like I was catching feelings that were not being thrown to me (in Simi’s words) so I buried it somewhere. But later that year, we made a marriage pact and agreed to get married in 2025 if we were both still single by then. I took that as a sign that maybe he liked me too, but because I wasn't sure and I did not want to jinx the 2025 plan, I chalked it up to banter and we continued as before. Between late 2021 and early 2022, we started making jokes about him sending me a virtual engagement ring or me paying his “groom’s price”, but we never talked about dating. As time passed, these “jokes” became quite common. At this time, we already had a deep knowledge of each other’s values, dreams, and thoughts on several matters. On a cool night in June 2022 when we would start dating, we spoke at length about our future plans, careers, and what we both wanted. After almost 6 hours of conversation, he asked to be my personal “Yoruba demon” and I agreed. The long distance relationship was hard, but we made it work. Six months later, he asked me to be his life partner and my reply was the quickest yes I have ever said to any important question.

…from Wande’s view
I met her for the first time in 2016 in Ibadan. My first impression was, "Who is this skinny human with a sharp mouth?" We spoke for a bit, but not in depth. I even loaned her a book, which she eventually didn't return. But that was the start of what would grow into a beautiful friendship. We reconnected about two years later, this time in Lagos. She came to visit a friend and we met up. I even gave her directions, lol. Then the frequency of our conversations increased. She left the country, but we maintained the friendship. After about two years, I knew I liked her, but I wasn't going to do long-distance. I played down my feelings for her, but I was sure to disturb her whenever I slept late (which was always). It was during one of these calls we made a pact that if she is still single when she is thirty and peradventure I am unmarried too, then we would get married. I had thought to myself then, “what are the odds of this happening”? Well it ended up happening earlier than I thought lol. I admired her beauty, intellect, and charisma. She's a baby girl with a soft heart, even though people don't get to see that part of her. Over time, she seemed to take notice of the extra affection I had for her. But by this time, I was already gone and could no longer hide it, so I made a commitment to give it what it would take to make it work. On June 26th, 2022, I asked her to be my girlfriend, and she accepted. She had made a "holiday" trip to London to see her friends, but I was not just going to patiently wait for the love of my life. I hijacked her "holiday" from Heathrow and went on to have one of the best moments of the year with her. We connected even more in ways we couldn't over the distance. I loved her even more and knew immediately I wanted to marry her. I literally started hunting for an engagement ring after she left. The next three months without her were very long, but we kept up and made the love even stronger. My hunt for the perfect ring continued. She was back three months later (this time to see me), and I wasted no time in asking her if she would like to spend the rest of her life with me. She said "yes," and now the rest is history.
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