Three Couples and Their Stories
For Valentine's Day, we rounded up three young couples, and asked them about their relationships with one another...
Photographed by Amanda Saviñón
Claudia & Bryant
(AKA Ceezy & Beezy)
How did you meet?
We met on Dyckman. At Mamajuana to be exact.
Long story short, both of our best friends are thots and my girlfriend convinced me to go to Mamajuana after we had been smoking hookah all night, just to go get a free drink from this “annoying guy” (love you Gabe) she met a few weeks back. The annoying guy had a best friend. The best friend was Bryant.
As soon as Bryant saw me walk in with my big beautiful hair… he locked eyes with me, grabbed me, and did not let me go the entire night (I knew I had it in the bag and didn’t even know if I wanted it in the bag). We danced our butts off and by the end of the night, I gave him my Instagram handle and told him to share it with his boys… which he didn’t do & he messaged me as soon as he woke up the next morning. I knew he was a keeper.
How long have you been together?
Exactly a fucking year!!! Wish us a mother fucking happy anniversary! Yassssss!
What do you argue about most?
Well, I make Bryant drive me around the world and apparently he has a problem with this. I don’t get it.
What are you most excited about in your lives as a couple right now?
Moving out! We’re saving up all of our coins this year so that we can move out to an apartment worthy of our love and glory. This will probably address the issue above as well.
Do you have a song?
2 songs. Señorita by Lotso & Crew by Goldlink. Bryant puts me on to all of my favorite songs.
What is one thing you BOTH have on your bucket lists?
Do all the things we’re going to work hard to do. We want to do it all; own property, travel the world, and eventually start a family. Basic but why not? Oh, we also want a brick oven in our backyard… that’s when we will know we made it.
Who cooks?
Bryant, duh.
How do your families get along?
Well, our families haven’t met but our families love us. His family lives in Queens and mine in the Heights so you know, there’s transportation issues. And not to mention the language barriers! Haitian Creole, Spanish, and Hungarian. Our little sisters have met and they were really cute. We’ll figure it out.
What was the last trip you took together? Tell us something about it.
We went to DR in December and it was a dream. It was Bryant’s first time in el campo and my family nicknamed him “pailita” because he would eat everything and was always hungry. He loved it and it was dope for me to introduce my Haitian boyfriend to my family in DR. We also traveled to France, Morocco, and Spain earlier in the year.
Relationship motto?
If you love someone, LOVE them. Put in the work; no excuses and no shortcuts.
Jay & Bret
How did you meet?
Jay’s perspective
Bret and I met while we were both abroad in Barcelona, Spain. I had organized a 15-day trip across 10 European cities with my friend Mitchel. We planned to be in Barcelona for 3 days and were then flying to Ibiza for the weekend. During our second day in Barcelona, Mitchell made plans to meet some friends from New York (I was very annoyed because we had a jam-packed itinerary). We agreed to meet them at the W Hotel by Barceloneta Beach. As we are making our way there, we get a text from Giselle (one of the friends we are supposed to meet) and she says they couldn’t get into the hotel because her friend has a sleeveless shirt. At this point, I am over it and I tell Mitchel that this was a bad idea and we should’ve stuck to our original plans. Little did I know I was about to meet this fine ass Blaquito.
I get out the cab and of course, I am looking like a dulce de leche snack. I saw them walking toward us. The moment he looked at me with those ocean eyes and smiled, I knew it was going to be a good night. We ended up going to another rooftop with a beautiful view but no music. For the first time, I did not mind because this gave Bret and I the opportunity to get to know each other. The whole night there was not a single moment of awkward silence. We cracked jokes and spoke about our travels.
Afterwards, our friends wanted to go to a salsa club but Bret and I don’t dance salsa so the whole night we're acting like we were judges on Dancing with the Stars, giving people scores. Mind you we wish we could dance salsa as good as half of the people there. We were low key hating haha. This was not the end of the night. At this point it was close to 2 am. We ended the night at this gay club near the plaza. We ordered two tequila sodas and disappear into the dance floor. I remember “Let’s Have a Kiki” was playing. We made sure we used this opportunity to show off our best moves under the flashing lights. I got real close to him and our eyes locked and BAMN we kissed. Till this day, he believes that I kissed him but honestly I think he kissed me first haha. And yes we made out to “Let’s Have a Kiki” no shame in that, it’s a shopping song (Cardi B voice).
We met up the next day at the beach and the magic was still there. I was rocking my Brazilian speedos with a purpose. After laying on the beach, drinking and laughing, it hit me that I had a flight to catch in a few hours so I asked him if he would come to Ibiza with me. Obviously, this was after a few tequila sodas so I just asked the question as a flirty joke not expecting a yes. But little did I know that Bret was actually looking at flights on his phone to come to Ibiza with me. Like what kind of guy books a flight last minute to go to some island with a guy who he met less than 24 hours ago? I know who, my man haha. This is how people die! jk. Clearly, this is how people fall in love duh. At this moment my heart was raising and I did not believe it, but it was true. He was able to get on the same flight as me and so did Giselle. Mitchel and I left the beach to help Bret and Giselle pack and then rushed to the airport still with sand in our shoes and wearing our beach clothes. We landed in Ibiza that night and had the night of our lives at Space club. After a beautiful weekend in Ibiza Bret and I parted ways with hopes to see each other in New York.
Our story proves that love can come to you at the least and most unexpected moment. The universe lined up for us to meet and we are forever grateful.
How long have you been together?
We have been together for a year and a half.
What do you argue about?
Bret- generally we get along very well, but both of us can be quite stubborn (let’s face it, who doesn’t like to be right ALL the time).
Jay- well I argue more than him because I’m Dominican and we are passionate people. But he is a very busy man so I try not to be too aggressive... dique.
What are you most excited about in your life as a couple?
We both really enjoy traveling and experiencing new places and cultures. Since we’ve meet we’ve been to Greece, UK, France, Mexico, Colombia, and traveled around the US. We are always planning our next adventure. We also drive each other to peruse our passions and challenge each other to strive for better. That dynamic is very exciting and really defines our relationship.
Do you have a song?
Bret- We don’t really have a song that sticks out, but we both have unhealthy obsessions with Cardi B and Taylor Swift - two artists that couldn’t be more opposite. But Jay will listen to as many sad, sappy Swift songs and I’ve learned all the lyrics to Cardi B and can spit her game with the best of em.
Jay- I listen to Taylor Swift not by choice, but I think it's cute that he gets excited about her music. I send him Taylor Swift news to hype him up. That’s what couples do, you compromise for each other. But let’s be real, Cardi B is the shit so you're welcome.
What is one thing you have on your bucket list?
We both want to hit each continent in our travels and have a longing to hike up to Machu Picchu. We also want to take hip hop dance classes. Bret has some impressive moves especially after some tequila, but he is not ready to dance Bachata or Merengue at my family parties just yet.
Who cooks?
Bret- I cook and Jay's Mom cooks!
Jay- I can take credit for my mom’s cooking since I buy the groceries so technically I am the one who cooks most of the time haha
What was the last trip you took together? Tell us something about it.
We traveled to Cartagena, Columbia for Bret’s birthday. The city a was vibrant melting pot of Caribbean culture - the music, food, dancing, and people were enchanting. We did a day trip to the Rosario Islands and snorkeled through a coral reef. It was the furthest either of us have been from shore. It was breathtaking to see the reef and all the beautiful fishes. However, nothing is more beautiful than diving into the unknown with fear and looking to your side and seeing your lover by your side. In his company I feel safe and at peace and even in the middle of the ocean I was able to feel it. That is love....
What is your relationship motto?
Be as transparent and understanding as possible with each other so that we can build each other into better people and continue to shine brighter, together.
Lucia & Paul
How did you meet?
We met at table 9 at The Bronx Beer Hall, which Paul co-owns. We were introduced by a mutual friend who Lucia had recruited for a performance art piece. Unknowingly we had several mutual friends that we were both really close to but they had never introduced us. There was something about our first interaction that just set off all kinds of bells. Til this day Paul says that his initial reaction was “holy shit, you actually exist!!”
How long have you been together?
4 yrs 1 month
What do you argue about most?
“Problems wit’ my wife, don’t discuss ‘em.”
Honestly there isn’t one thing we consistently argue about.
What are you most excited about in your lives as a couple right now?
It seems each year brings a different level of intimacy so we’re really excited to grow together. Given the trajectory of our individual careers, we’re excited for one another all the time.
Do you have a song?
Michael Jackson - Rock With You
What is one thing you BOTH have on your bucket lists?
A picnic in a hot air balloon.
Who cooks?
We share cooking duties when our busy schedules allow us time to eat together at home.
How do your families get along?
While they haven’t spent a whole lot of time together the times they have hung out they’ve gotten along really well.
What was the last trip you took together? Tell us something about it.
We went to Paris back in November as Lucia was a featured artist in the JP Morgan & Chase Collection’s exhibit for Paris Photo. It was Paul’s first vacation in over 2 yrs so he spent a lot of time happily wandering the city by himself. But when Lucia wasn’t working we managed to have some yummy food & drink, romantic walks and take in a lot of rich art and European history. We made it a point to hit up Collette before they shut their doors forever in December 2017. We’re dying to go back.
Relationship motto?
“We can rock forever, ooooooon”