Over the next few years, their paths continue to cross. With mutual friends and intertwined circles, they’d run into each other often—always friendly, always familiar. As fate would have it, they both ended up spending a summer in New York City. Brandon was interning at Con Edison, while Alexa was dancing in a summer program at Broadway Dance Center. They celebrated their 21st birthdays together (only ten days apart), explored the city, and shared memories—without ever quite realizing what was quietly growing beneath the surface.

After college, life pulled them in different directions. Both leaned into their careers while navigating the unfamiliar space of post-college self-discovery. Alexa returned to her hometown of San Diego after dancing on a cruise ship throughout Asia, where she rediscovered her passion for teaching at her childhood dance studio. Brandon joined a rotational program that carried him across the U.S. and the U.K. Even miles apart, they stayed connected—through the occasional text, a social media check-in, a small reminder of a familiar presence.

In 2020, Brandon’s job brought him to Los Angeles, placing them in the same state for the first time in years. In what he claims was a thinly disguised attempt to build community, Brandon texted everyone he knew in Southern California to reconnect—and Alexa just happened to be on that list. After years of communicating through screens, they finally spent time together in person again. What followed were months of drives between Los Angeles and San Diego, made easier by the fact that in 2020, there was plenty of time and nowhere else to be. Years later, Brandon would admit that reconnecting with Alexa had been his plan all along. 

That October, Brandon accepted a job in San Diego and made the move south. Living in the same city made it clear: this time, it was different. The timing was right and they’ve been together ever since.

The seed of their love was planted when they were just 19. Their path was never linear, but there was always an invisible string tying them together. By giving each other the space to grow, to explore, and to become fully themselves, their relationship found the perfect moment to flourish.

On a trip to Greece—Alexa’s first time in Europe—Brandon proposed on their four-year anniversary. And now, just a few days before their six-year dating anniversary, they’re saying “I do,” finally stepping into the chapter that was always meant to be.