Sara & Hector

Hector and Sara's story begins, like so many these days, on a dating app—though neither of them expected much to come of it.

But then they started talking. And talking. And talking—about movies. They made plans to meet for coffee the week after Thanksgiving. When Sara stood up, Hector quickly realized he had to stand a little taller—this girl had height he wasn't prepared for.

They worked side by side, chatted for hours, and eventually decided to go back to Hector's apartment to watch a movie. That night, they watched Birdman in complete silence. But afterward, they sat on the couch and talked for hours, until they looked at the time and realized it was 3:00 a.m. Hector drove Sara back to her dorm, and as she leaned in to kiss him, they both missed. She figured she'd never see him again.

But then she got a text. From that moment on, they kept seeing each other. When winter break ended, Hector officially asked Sara to be his girlfriend. A year later, they traveled to Italy with Hector's cousin. Then came Chicago, Spain, Mexico, and Norway. They moved in together.

Hector, a seasoned traveler with family across the world, and Sara, born and raised in Indiana with an insatiable curiosity to see it all, balanced each other perfectly. They tackled long distance. They blinked, and seven years flew by. Through it all, they loved each other fiercely—and cuddled just as hard.