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In the summer of 2017, Luca was at JFK Airport, wrapping up a family vacation in New York. Monica had just moved back to the city, ready to embrace new beginnings after a harsh breakup. On a whim, on the same day, the two both opened Tinder. With Luca at the airport—just within the perfect radius of Monica, they suddenly appeared in each other’s feeds. It was a match. Instantly, he messaged her.

"Of course I would match with you when I'm in the airport."​ He lamented. Interestingly, had either of them opened the dating app just 20 minutes later, the chance for them to match would’ve vanished—and you wouldn’t be sitting here reading this right now, now would you? But I digress.

Luca’s written English was impeccable—almost suspiciously so. Naturally, Monica assumed he was from New York and simply heading to Italy for a short visit. But as their conversation unfolded, she discovered he was born, raised and living there.

In earnest, neither of them expected much from a match separated by an entire ocean. Yet, the daily texts became the highlight of their young days. They eagerly bonded over a shared love for '80s Italian disco, stupid memes, and a genuine curiosity into each other's culture and background. With physicality being taken out of the equation, the two were granted the ability to truly discover each other on a deeper level. They began to forge a romantic relationship atop a solid foundation of deep friendship.

Are you my friend? She would cheekily ask him from time to time. More than that! He would exclaim.

Three months later, Luca returned to New York, and decided to take a chance to meet Monica in person for the first time. It felt akin to meeting a stranger… a stranger that you know absolutely everything about.

Relieved to discover that the other was exactly who they claimed to be, the pair began to date long-distance. Monica flying to Italy to stay for a few weeks and Luca coming back to New York every few weeks. This lasted for almost a year, but they both knew this would not be sustainable. The desire to be together grew too strong.​ Eventually, by the grace of fate, Luca was able to transfer offices from Milan to NYC. They finally fulfilled their dream to live together in New York, own a dog, and wake up next to each other every day.

8 years later, and it still feels like yesterday that they matched on a dating app.