I’ll never forget the day I met Pascual and Michael. The party was lit and I was several drinks in, when I noticed my friend Adriana talking to a tall, skinny dude she called PJ, a Biology major, so I joined in and introduced myself. After a few minutes, a guy joined the conversation, who introduced himself as Michael, and after talking a bit about his major in Political Science, he reached over and grabbed PJ by the hand. From the second I saw them together, I could sense this magnetism between them that few couples have, and I could only think one thing:
“Wow, these two look great together.”
Their story is one that starts in an unusual way: a beetle stuck in a door. As Michael puts it, “we were sitting in an Empresas classroom and I saw a beetle at the door, to which I said ‘uy fo.’ Pascual noticed and replied with a geeky gasp as he ran to the door to save it”. Surprisingly enough, Pascual had noticed Michael in his previous class and was already determined to make a move at some point, and everything was made easier by the poor little beetle that got stuck in the “doors fearsome teeth.”
After this encounter, they walked together to the biology building and PJ asked him out to the opening of the MuSA, an invitation that Michael excitedly accepted. Of course, being the cool, calm and collected individual that he is, PJ kept his emotions in check. Sike! His first thoughts were “OH GOD WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR, MY HAIR OH MY GOD MY HAIR.” Clearly, this was a relationship that was made to last from the beginning.
In terms of what they first noticed about each other, they both gave varied answers. Pascual noticed Michael’s “amazing hair and huge eyes. He has a serious look, but it’s not cold; in fact, it’s more compassionate than anything else.” Michael, on the other hand, thought that Pascual was “a straight f#@*boy, but after that was cleared up, I saw in him everything I’ve ever wanted: someone that was tall, nerdy, unorthodox and woke (I’m not lucky, I’m blessed).” I know what you’re thinking, which is exactly what I thought: AW!
When I asked them what made their relationship unique, I got a closer look at the connection these two great dudes shared. Both of them felt that even though they were very different people, each with their own upbringing, the fact that they could both grow to love what the other loves and get close despite those differences is what drives their relationship, which is something that a lot of other couples could stand to learn from these two. That mutual respect is a #majorkey in making any relationship work.
Finally, I asked them for advice on how to keep a relationship healthy and growing. Pascual shared that “it’s important to keep things varied and try new things, but to also have things to fall back on that you’re both comfortable with. Even though this is something I’m still learning about, I’d also say that it’s important to know that your relationship is between you two, and that keeping people out of your fights and problems is hella important”. As for Michael, he thinks it’s important to “remember that you are not dating yourself. Embrace diversity, fight, communicate, listen, express yourselves, respect each other, be realistic, be selfless but selfish, balance yourself, practice relativity, be truthful, patient, and be yourself.” These words, to me, sound like words to live by.