They met in middle school… he thought she was cute, but that she wouldn’t like him back.

“He called me blob fish”, says Ari.

To which Daryll replies, ”Only so no one else would date her.”

So they teased each other, but started hanging out, and over time became close friends.

As middle school tends to go, they drifted apart. Until they reconnected in high school. It was as if no time had passed. They started talking more, chatting over FaceTime, smoking, chilling, etc. In the meantime, Daryll was experiencing some difficulties in his home life. As life happened for Daryll, Ari was a constant friend, there to comfort him and encourage him to keep going.

It seems as though they each knew early on that this was someone who was going to be a special part of the other’s life. With them constantly being together, and supporting each other through hard times, loss, and family struggles; plus their shared love of anime and herbs, and desire for what the future would look like, it was only natural that love would bloom. Soon after, Ariana’s family welcomed Daryll into their home and family, it was all set.

“Me and Daryll can laugh in a room for hours and still find more funny things to say” -Ari

Of course the next step for Daryll was a proposal.

The morning of the proposal I was so ready and excited. I asked Omarie to help me that night because I wanted to get the lighting right, in case we took pictures. Then, I made sure to grab all the stuff to decorate the area. When O & I met up at the spot on the hill were I was going to ask Ari to marry me, we began to decorate...then some cops pulled up and asked us to leave, but when I told them what I was doing, they let me finish, lol.

So, there I was at the Belton Dam "love lock" overlook, on August 20th, right at sunset, 7:57PM, on one knee, asking the most beautiful girl in the world to marry me... And she said "yes!"