Nico first met Abby while she was sleeping between classes, curled up on a couch in the reading room of the English building sophomore year at Cal Poly. As the hourly bell rang, he sat down beside her. She stirred, they introduced themselves, and—like ships in the night—Abby headed off to her next class while Nico took his turn at a nap…

Over the years, they continued to orbit each other through mutual friends, throwing clay at the Cal Poly Craft Center, drinking tea at the Moon Mansion, and eventually at the Patagonia Worn Wear repair truck in 2017. That day, Abby helped Nico choose the color of the buttons on a jacket he still owns.

Fast forward to 2021. They found each other again at the Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market and shared their first finger dance (that’s dancing, with just your fingers). Not long after, Abby traveled to Kauai and invited Nico to join her as a improptu birthday gift. From that moment on, their love has grown through silliness, shared meals, and the quiet joy of choosing each other again and again.