From Two Friends to forever: vol. 25

The Extended Edition

  • Our story begins in September 2021. Shebah was visiting her parents in Dallas when the two matched on Dil Mil.

    J: We met on Dil Mil. Shebah was living in Raleigh, but she was visiting her parents in Dallas when we first matched. In her profile picture she was wearing this retro looking coat.

    S: I sent him the first message. All of his photos made him look super adventurous, like doing the tough mudder and running. He had this picture of himself zip-lining upside down, so I said, “omg you gotta teach me how to do that.”

    J: And I said, “Of course, nice Fresh Prince jacket!” 

    Even though Shebah soon discovered that Jelix was slightly less outdoorsy than advertised, and Jelix found that Shebah’s personal style was possibly the exact opposite of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air’s, they kept talking — and finding more in common with one another. Over the next couple of months, the two began watching TV shows together, keeping up contact despite the long distance.

    J: We started live-watching TV shows, and she figured out my taste pretty quickly. The shows I enjoyed the most were the ones she recommended.

    S: We were similar with how we texted and talked. He’s enthusiastic in texts, so it was a lot of fun to talk to him. We liked the same things and disliked the same things.

    J: Our conversations were so natural and I felt like I could talk to her about anything. 

  • In December, Shebah came back to stay with her parents over the holidays, and the pair went on their first date. 

    S: He asked me out on a date to see Spiderman. If anyone knows anything about me, they know I hate those type of movies.

    J: I was nervous so I got there 30 minutes early.

    S: When I looked up how far away the theater was, it was fifteen minutes away. And I grew up in Iowa where traffic wasn’t a thing. So the day of the date I leave and see that’s actually 30-35 minutes away because of traffic. I was so late, I was super stressed.

    J: I was just sitting there watching the previews, and she calls and says that she’s going to be late. Ten minutes into the movie she shows up, and she calls me, frantic, and tells me to stand up and wave because she can’t see where I am, even though I gave her the seat number.

    S: It was pitch black because the movie had already started!

    Despite a rocky start, the two bonded over dinner after the movie.

    J: We were just sitting there talking, and I felt a spark. I realized I really liked this girl. The connection was amazing.

    S: I told my friends afterwards that he was really funny, he made me laugh so much.

  • In 2022, Shebah and Jelix spent several months getting to know each other better. Though Shebah still lived in North Carolina, she traveled often to Dallas.

    J: At the time I was working multiple night shifts, where I’d work 12-hour shifts for 7 days, and then have 7 days off. I don’t normally socialize at all during those months because it’s so exhausting. But we stayed close by live-watching movies and TV shows. We were constantly talking to each other.

    S: I knew I really liked him, but I felt like there was a lot that I hadn’t gotten to see yet.

    They squeezed time together between hectic work schedules, going on dates to Soul Cycle (Jelix was not a fan) and walking the Katy Trail in Dallas.

  • By June though, the pair was paying the cost of their busy schedules and long distance.  But the winds changed when Jelix asked Shebah to spend a long weekend in DC with him, under the guise of collecting his Companion Pass with Southwest Airlines, of course.

    J: That trip was where I realized she was the one. I could be myself, not play a part for her. We explored in the morning, ate some oysters, and we were walking around and I thought to myself that I was exhausted and wanted to go back to the hotel. And she takes the words out of my head before I could say them. It made me feel so comfortable, like we were so compatible. After that, I was committed.

    S: We went on that trip a week after I officially moved to Dallas. I had just moved into an apartment uptown and he worked 10 minutes away, so he’d come over all the time and we got to spend so much time together.

  • Shebah and Jelix were exclusively dating after their trip to DC. The following October, Jelix asked Shebah to be his girlfriend.

    J: We were exclusive, so I thought it was all official without having to have to ask, “are you my girlfriend,” because that’s so outdated. I thought it was a given that we were together.

    S: I was all in and wanted to marry him after our trip to DC.

    Over the next year, the pair grew further in their relationship. Their dates spanned everything from watching TV on the couch to trips to Hawaii and Turks & Caicos.

    J: We went to Hawaii that December. It was one of the best trips of my life, and that’s because Shebah was with me.

  • On the two-year anniversary of their first date, Shebah was prepared for a family photoshoot. Her sister-in-law had planned the whole thing: all the Chirackals had new color-coordinated outfits. The sisters had their hair done in preparation, and the group went to meet their photographer at the Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Garden. The family was shown past a corner, where Jelix was waiting, along with his family.

    S: He was just standing there in front of this beautiful backdrop, and there’s a string quartet playing our song, and there’s a sign that says, “Will you marry me?”

    J: In June 2023 I heard this song while I was at work called More Than Yesterday by Two Friends. I sent it to her and said, this is how you make me feel. The more time we spend together, the more I love you. It became our song.

    S: The thing is that Jelix is not at all a planner. When we go on trips, I’m usually the one who plans it. So the fact that he planned this whole elaborate proposal with both our families there really caught me off guard.

  • On March 1st, 2025, Shebah and Jelix will take the next step on their journey together. 

    J: I love the way she makes me feel about myself. I love the way I can live around her, who I am around her.

    S: Jelix is the first person I want to tell anything to. If I'm sad or upset, he always knows exactly what to say to cheer me up.  He’s my best friend.