Denise and Jaime both grew up in the Philippines, though Jaime spent much of his life away, rarely home after sixteen.
Their paths crossed only because Jaime crashed Denise’s friend’s birthday party one night in January 2020—without saying more than a sheepish hello.
Two years later, they reconnected over a few games of Rummikub—not a date, as Denise still reminds Jaime, especially after he lost three times in a row. Nearly a month passed before their first “real” date. It didn’t go well. Still, they kept trying, neither admitting they both planned to leave the Philippines soon.
One night, Denise told Jaime she was heading to the U.S. for her MBA. Jaime laughed—he was too. It felt like fate, again. They gave the relationship a real shot, mostly long-distance, meeting in the middle in New York whenever they could. Between voice notes, weekend visits, and shared wins (and accounting struggles), their love grew.
Now, they return to the Philippines to build a new life together.
