Dakya and I met while attending South Carolina State University, in October of 2017. It was homecoming weekend, and my best friend had came down to be apart of the festivities with me. Dakya was standing outside my dorm with a group of his friends while I was sitting inside my bestfreind’s car. I made a bold move and blew the horn to get their attention, not knowing who they were or how they looked. Dakya walked over to the driver side window and simultaneously our eyes locked with eachother. Within seconds he made his way over to the passenger side window, and instantly I found myself mesmerized with his “pretty” smile and handsome face.

The bold move paid off: Five years later in March of 2023 Dakya planned for me to have a girls night out with his cousin. When his cousin and I arrived to one of Columbia’s elegant restaurants we were led to the back outside. Upon walking outside, I spotted my loved ones holding red roses. As I made my way down the line accepting the roses from each of them, Dakya stood at the end of the line with a single rose. I could tell from afar he was nervous and I was as well. However that same mesmerizing feeling I had five years prior came instantly once I made my way to the end of the line. Dakya got down on one knee and asked the question I’ve waited five years to answer.