On a hot summer Thursday night in London, Dominic, having just come out of a “brief, silly, ‘what was that’, month-long thing”, declared he was taking the dating season off. Marcos, was in a similar state, having recently separated from a two-year relationship and tired of his other brief flings.

On the next hot summer night, their break from dating came to an end. “It was a Friday night, we’d both just gotten home, and we started chatting on a dating app.” Marcos interjected, “We had chatted the year before and he didn’t remember me! This didn’t go down well, as I thought I was more memorable than that.” Dominic, undeterred, continued: “His messages really made me laugh, and I thought, why not have him over,” with Marcos clarifying, “It was not a booty call!” After a few hours of conversation, Marcos grabbed Dominic for their first kiss. After a few more hours, Marcos declared: “I am going to leave, but I am going to take you out on a proper date.”

Three days later, two had their first proper date. “Without the premise of alcohol late on a Friday night, on our first date we started fresh and started unfolding the layers and getting to know each other,” Dominic explained. “I just felt so comfortable sitting with the most handsome man,” Marcos said. “And it was the first time I felt like someone was really getting to know me. It was refreshing.” For Dominic it was the energy behind Marcos’s smile and the conviction with which he spoke. “He meant what he said and said what he meant.”

Dominic’s reaction to their second date was: “F*cking hell. He threw me for a six!” Dominic was consumed by thoughts of Marcos, with Marcos feeling the same. Despite their declarations of a dating break, the two knew there was something worth pursuing, if with the healthy amount of care. You know the kind that involves going away on a trip to Greece and perhaps waiting a few days before texting, as Dominic did. And you know the care best defined as “don’t get too boyfriend on this.” When Dominic finally did text, Marcos quickly responded: “Oh! So, you’ve forgotten about me already!” In that simple exchange, all bets were off. “It wasn’t forced, it didn’t have to be worked at, and it was comfortable,” Dominic described.

Eight months later, on a crisp early spring day, the two moved in together, a milestone for Marcos as this was the first time he’d moved in with a partner. Two days later, the world locked down. “It was a blessing and a curse,” is how Marcos described the intense experience of being locked in together. For Dominic, “it was difficult, but not impossible”. For both, it was proof that they had found their person. Found they could break down the walls and let someone else in. Found they could clash and communicate their way through it. Found that the only way to do lockdown was with two bedrooms!

When asked when they started talking about engagement, Dominic answered, “moving in together was more of an engagement conversation than specifically talking about it. Moving in together was just as much a statement of making a life together.” But so too was Dominic spending two months with Marcos’s family in Spain. “For any couple, that could be a risky situation, but his parents loved me, and I loved them, and the dynamic among us just changed. That cemented us a life partners, whether or not we put a ring on it.”

On a cold Christmas Eve with Marcos’s family, Dominic did put a ring on it. Dominic started planning the proposal along with Marcos’s parents starting in summer when he’d asked for Marcos’s hand. Months of planning were nearly scuttled thanks to Marcos coming down with Omicron, and Dominic getting a bit tipsy at the dinner table. “He was beyond tipsy,” Marcos clarified! “I started drinking a ton of water to begin sobering up and kept having to go to the bathroom.” But on one trip back to the table, Dominic had ring in hand and got down on one knee with Marcos’s parents looking on. “I was so shocked. After 11 days in isolation, all I wanted was to get to Spain, have dinner and go to bed,” Marcos said laughing. “He did it perfectly. I was so nervous it might happen in a restaurant or somewhere publicly, where I’d be embarrassed and just say no! But he made Christmas even more magical.”

On a cold Christmas Day, the two started planning their wedding. Having no clue as to how to plan a wedding but knowing that it would be challenging to find a date, the two reached out to friends of Marcos who were planners. “The only thing I knew was that I wanted a particular venue,” Marcos said. Fun fact, he’d never even been to said venue, but just knew that was where he was to be married. When queried for available dates, it was available on the date they’d picked for their wedding in June of 2023. Venue in hand, the two are focused on creating an experience of a lesser-known corner of Spain, a ceremony that celebrates their Celtic and Lebanese roots, and the bringing together of their two families. “Ours are both traditional families. Modern in their outlook, but close, fun-loving, boisterous, and tight knit.”

When Marcos was finally able to meet Dominic’s family in Australia this spring he described the experience as “the moment everything clicked, and I felt like home.” With love, family and home as their bedrock, Dominic and Marcos truly are forever and always.