Yash and Ruchika

Our story began in our senior year at Rutgers, in a class called Global Capital Markets. A group project brought us together, and what followed were long conversations and study sessions at Alexander Library, where we'll admit we spent more time talking than studying.

After graduation, we went our separate ways and moved to different cities. Then in 2024, our paths crossed again. We were both living in New York City now, and this time, the city had other plans for us.

We met for drinks at Bella Union, home to what we're convinced are the best espresso martinis in Manhattan. One night turned into more plans, and more plans turned into a habit. We were always together after that, trying new restaurants and wandering new neighborhoods. Somewhere in there, we became each other's favorite person to call.

“Somewhere along the way, we became best friends first.”

We lived on opposite ends of the M15 bus route, and we logged more miles on that crosstown bus than we'd care to count. Every ride still felt too short. We also fell into an ongoing (and still unresolved) debate about whether East Village or Sutton Place is the better corner of the city, taking turns playing proud local tour guide.

And slowly, that friendship grew into something neither of us quite had the words for — until now.