Right from when they first matched, Pooja knew there was something special about Hardik. She started the conversation by talking about The Weeknd, one of their favorite artists. As they spent more time getting to know each other, she realized how simple, kind, humble, loving and caring Hardik was. She couldnʼt stop talking to or thinking about him and felt like texting him and FaceTiming him all day. Hardik felt the same way, and loved that he could talk to her for hours and share his feelings without any judgement. He also loved that she was kind, loving and down to earth, and never afraid to speak her mind and express her love.
Their first date was like a scene straight out of a Bollywood movie! They met for the first time on Valentineʼs Day — Pooja flew to Chicago after work on a Friday to finally meet Hardik and spend the weekend with him. They decided to meet at baggage claim and were having a hard time finding each other. Finally, she recognized him from afar and even though he was facing away from her, texted him to turn around. She had the biggest smile on her face when she saw him for the first time, and felt like it was a surreal moment. He gave her a tight hug and then pulled out a red rose from his jacket. As she accepted the rose, she started blushing and he asked if he could kiss her. Of course she said yes, and they shared that magical moment together kissing in one of the busiest airports in the world without a care in the world.
Fast forward to current times – the pandemic made things a little complicated for Hardik once he was ready to propose. While he couldn’t give her the dream proposal he had in mind, he wanted to make sure it was a special evening. Pooja and her family were coming to Chicago for their Hindu wedding ceremony and civil ceremony a week ahead of time, and they were surrounded by family. Hardik asked Pooja to spend an entire day with him under the guise of a chance to spend some time alone together and explore the city. He told her he had the whole day planned out with five different dates because he wanted to show her the city through his eyes and not as a tourist. When Hardik came to pick her up, Pooja had a gut feeling that the day was going to be very memorable and special. Their first stop was Lincoln park, and Hardik asked someone to take a picture of them as they approached the honeycomb. He held her hand, looked deep into her eyes, and got down on one knee. Pooja immediately started crying, and it was the easiest “yes” she’d ever said!
Hardik’s advice for others: Don’t worry about having that perfect checklist. I was just looking for someone to have a genuine conversation with who had a great personality, because at the end of the day that’s all that matters. Everything else has its own way of working out! #OnceUponADilMil
