Anisha & Nicole — Georgia, USA
Anisha Williams, Inventory control specialist
Nicole Williams, Prior authorization coordinator
When both Anisha and Nicole Williams found out their friends had set up dating profiles for them, neither took it seriously — that is, until they began talking to each other. “We seemed to get along well, so we quickly exchanged numbers and decided to talk,” says Nicole. The pair chatted for weeks before hanging out, learning about all the interests and friends they had in common. After getting together a few times, the pair realized they wanted more out of the relationship. “We have been inseparable ever since and so thankful to this day for that dating website we both cared nothing about,” says Anisha.
Those first few weeks were indicative of their entire relationship. According to Anisha and Nicole, the pair get along so well because they complete each other, supporting and encouraging the other to be their best self. “She was able to be herself around me, and I was able to be myself around her,” says Anisha. “There was trust and support that came easily for us, and we just felt like we had known each other forever.”
Aside from each other, the pair are hard at work being full-time mothers and businesswomen. Currently, Anisha and Nicole are working on growing their business ventures as content creators on YouTube and social media as well as creating educational LGBTQ+-focused projects. “Our main goal is to share our experiences to help be the representation we felt we did not have growing up and coming to our true selves,” says Nicole.
Over the past year, Nicole and Anisha have been taking the opportunity to spend more time together and working through any kinks left in their relationship. It’s that behavior that’s kept their bond so strong for over a decade: prioritizing each other and persevering for true love. “Every day we choose each other and our relationship,” says Nicole. “We fuss and argue just like everyone else, but we never give up. … We have made a partnership with each other and look forward to many more years in the future.”
Delia & Gaby — Brooklyn, NY
Delia Curtis, Freelancer writer, owner of Envisage Amity
Gaby Quesada, Associate customer success manager for Adobe Sign
When Delia and Gaby swiped right on each other on Bumble, it was a last-ditch effort before quitting dating apps altogether. But once they found each other, they decided deleting the apps could wait. The pair sent texts and voice memos for about a week before going on their first date, on which they ended up spending the entire day together. “We ended up spending seven hours together,” says Delia. “The date ended up being that long because Gaby didn’t get up the nerve to kiss me.” But Gaby did eventually work up the courage as the pair were catching their trains home, and in the little over two years since then, their love has only grown.
Gaby knew Delia was the love of her life one afternoon while they were eating donuts in the park. After messing with the squirrels around their bench, they were suddenly surrounded — and Gaby decided to run, leaving Delia alone. After they both successfully got away, Gaby prepared to be broken up with, but instead, Delia laughed and told Gaby she loved her. “I thought to myself how we had just been through all of that, and she told me she loved me,” says Gaby. “This girl is my ride or die — literally.”
For Delia, the feeling was more intuitive. She didn’t have a specific moment where she realized Gaby was “the one;” it was more like slowly falling in love. As Gaby began to understand Delia’s processes, anxieties, and passions, she offered support and a sense of grounding — all things that proved to Delia that it’s safe for her to call Gaby home. “She takes the time to learn about how to interact with me in a way that feels comfortable and nonjudgmental,” says Delia. “It’s the moments where she pulls me back down to earth and explains that things will always work out that make me love her even more.”
Although the couple were long distance for a year, Gaby recently made the move to New York to be with Delia. They’re not the kind of couple with an urge to merge, according to Gaby, and being together in quarantine actually taught them to give each other space. “We’ve gotten really good at being away from each other and are not overly reliant on one another,” says Gaby. “We are still very much individual people who are in a relationship.” Delia agrees, noting that they learned about more than just individual space over the last year. “We really learned how to be vulnerable and honest with our needs and how we were feeling,” says Delia. “We saw new sides of ourselves that only a world-wide pandemic could bring out.”
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