September 2023 — Bali

A mutual friend introduced us at a gathering in Bali. "You two should get to know each other," he said. Violet thought she was just getting to know him as a friend. Arif was a little more interested than that. We exchanged WhatsApp and Instagram.

It didn’t take long to figure out we liked the same music and the same memes. Those conversations had a habit of running longer than we planned.

March 2024

Violet mentioned she wasn’t ready for a relationship, and wasn’t interested in pursuing one, though she still wanted the friendship. We gave each other space.

During those months Arif prayed. Not for Violet by name, but for the kind of person he was looking for.

Life went on. Occasional Instagram story replies, the kind you send without thinking much of it. No deep conversations, no chasing. He wasn’t really waiting for Violet.

A few weeks before October, we somehow caught up again. A reply that lingered a little longer than usual. A conversation that didn’t stop where it normally would. Small things that could mean nothing or could mean something. Arif noticed but didn’t want to read into it.

October 2024

The word somehow made it to Arif through his spiritual mentor. Violet was ready. Arif had no idea.

December 2024

We were supposed to meet in Jakarta. Two days before, Violet sprained her ankle bouldering badly enough to cancel the flight. So we spent that time online instead. Games, documentaries, hours of talking that only happen when neither of you has anywhere else to be.

Somewhere in those weeks we’d quietly become part of each other’s everyday.

January 2025 — Singapore

We hadn’t seen each other face to face since Bali. Sixteen months.

Violet still couldn’t make it to Jakarta, so Arif made the trip to Singapore instead. She was still recovering, still walking carefully. He slowed down to match her pace and didn’t make a show of it. She noticed. Whatever she’d been unsure about, being together in person put those doubts to rest.

March 2025

Arif invited Violet along to a camping trip with friends. She didn’t think much of it. Then he held out a bouquet and asked her to be his girlfriend.

She didn’t see it coming.

She took it.

June 2025 — Bali

Before and after an international event we were both attending, we went back to the island where we’d first met. We spent days travelling around Bali together. Cafes, sunsets on the beach, long walks. It was the first time we had an extended stretch with each other, and we saw how we might work together, if we did end up together in the future.

January 2026

We learned how to resolve disagreements together and communicate better. It wasn’t always easy. But we came out of it closer.

We could see how we were both growing, learning to trust in God’s timing and His providence, even when the road ahead wasn’t clear.

Somewhere in those months, Violet found herself praying whether this was it, whether Arif was the one she’d been hoping for. She began to see in him everything she’d hoped for. The way he cared for her. The way he handled their disagreements. She could imagine her future with him.

She felt ready to move forward.

May 2026 — Singapore

He’d watched the forecast for weeks, waiting for the right day, and scouted the Esplanade Rooftop to find the spot. Fifteen friends got there without Violet knowing. A diamond ring he’d carried from Jakarta. A bouquet. He was there to propose.

She said yes.