In 2018, Anita was enjoying life in Boston and, on Halloween, she went out for drinks. “My friend started talking to someone, but I wasn’t interested in joining their conversation,” she says. Luckily, she spotted someone else to distract her. “I saw this very attractive guy with a warm smile and went to speak to him.” Taylor, who had also been out with friends, was gearing up to go home. When Anita approached him, he was instantly drawn to her. “I couldn’t hear a word she was saying over the noise of the bar, but I thought she was phenomenally beautiful, so I tried to keep showing my interest,” he says. They went downstairs, where it was quieter, to continue their conversation. “I loved how tall he is. I’m 5ft 9in and he’s 6ft 5in,” says Anita. After a trip to a 24-hour bakery, they went back to her flat, where Taylor stayed until 6am. “I’m quite pessimistic about climate change and the state of the world and we talked a lot about that,” he says. “She seemed really interested and didn’t think I was crazy.” On the contrary, Anita says she found him “smart and interesting”. He texted her as soon as he left, but didn’t hear back straight away. “I’m really bad with texting,” Anita says. When she responded, nine hours later, they agreed to meet again after Taylor finished his shift at a bar. “We were chatting until the early hours, but nothing else happened,” he says. A few days later, they went on their first proper date and have been together ever since. “I’m not a romcom person, but I started to realise this is what the people in those movies were talking about,” says Anita. They became a couple in January 2019. A few months later, Anita was offered a place at a university about two hours south of Chicago. “I was thrilled for her, but the idea of being apart was scary,” says Taylor. “I didn’t want to do long-distance.” As well as working in the bar, Taylor had a part-time job as an intelligence analyst, which could be done remotely, so that summer he moved in with his sister in Chicago while Anita went to live on campus. “We saw each other every week,” he says. When the pandemic hit, Anita went to live with Taylor and continued her modules online. “It meant we could practise living together. We went on a lot of walks,” says Anita, laughing. In May this year, the pair were on a night out with friends when Anita was seriously injured in a hit and run. “I thought she was dead when I saw her on the road,” says Taylor. “After the accident, she tested positive for Covid, which meant we couldn’t see her in hospital. I felt terrible. She was lucky not to be paralysed.” Anita is now recovering at home with her family. “They wanted to look after me and asked Taylor to move in as well, which has been great,” she says. “My family is Indian American and he fits in so well and has embraced the culture.” Taylor loves the food and traditions he can share with Anita. “It’s been great to learn about her heritage,” he says. Once Anita is well enough, the pair will move in together and she will continue with her studies, while Taylor will also begin a course at the same university. “He’s so caring and patient with me,” says Anita. “He has incredible respect for women. We don’t believe in two halves coming together, but in two wholes making each other better. He pushes me harder and inspires me, so there’s always a sense of growth.” Taylor loves his partner’s sincerity and kindness. “In a world of online dating, it’s unusual for our generation to hit it off with a stranger in a bar like that. I’m really happy she came to talk to me that night. She’s made my life so much better.” Want to share your story? Tell us a little about you, your partner and how you got together by filling in the form here.