Some love stories begin with a moment. Theirs began with a thread—an invisible string quietly pulling them toward each other long before they ever realized it.
The first gentle tug happened in childhood, when Bryan’s family bought a dog from Steph’s family. They named her Chanel—a tiny, almost funny hint of the future. Steph was too shy to come out and say hi, but the thread had already looped around them.
In high school, the string pulled again. Bryan almost transferred to OCGS, Steph’s school. He even attended orientation, but ultimately didn’t push through. What looked like another missed chance was really the universe saying, not yet.
During college, they unknowingly lived in the same condo, sharing countless elevator rides. Bryan thought Steph was a snob; Steph swears she was just shy. Still, that invisible string kept them close, waiting for its moment.
And in 2017, it finally tightened.
Steph—deep in her party girl era but ironically returning a Bible for a class—spotted Bryan and his friends. With most of her friends bailing on their night out, she impulsively invited his group to join her. Out of everyone she could’ve approached, she walked up to him. That night, they talked like two people who had been orbiting each other for years.
The next day, Bryan asked her to watch his game. She almost said no, but her friends pushed her to go. From then on, they became part of the same barkada—weekends out, gym after class, and endless little moments that quietly tied their lives together.
Then came Valentine’s Day. Bryan invited her to lunch. Steph took over an hour to reply, unsure if she should go—but in the end, she said yes. Another tug of the string. Another step closer.
Nine years later—after two breakups, a pandemic, growing up, growing apart, and finding their way back every single time—they now see what they couldn’t before: that the thread between them never snapped. It simply kept pulling, gently and patiently, until they were ready.
What began as near-crossings and small coincidences has led them here today. Proof that some people are meant for each other—bound by a string that was invisible, but always there.
And maybe, just maybe… Chanel knew it all along. 🐾
