It’s a little strange, but I believe I was waiting for it all my life.

I was waiting for this kind of love, the love I had been missing for so long.

Everywhere I looked, I only saw fake love… until I met you.

I met you through social media. I saw your photos and felt something I can't explain something rare, something that only comes once in a lifetime. So I messaged you, and from the first message, it felt magical.

We connected instantly. We talked and talked… and the more we spoke, the more I felt we already knew each other.

We shared the same ideas, the same faith, and the same heart.

Every day during Ramadan, we would talk for hours. We explored deep and dreamy conversations, used riddles, imagined stories together it was like living in a fantasy world, but it was real to us.

Then one day you told me about your birthday trip to France…

And I was so happy to know the date the jewel of my life was born.

When you said you were planning to go alone, I suggested Morocco instead

a more affordable, more beautiful place filled with amazing beaches and culture.

I sent you pictures and videos, and you liked the idea.

You decided to come, and everything started to grow from there.

You came during Ramadan, a time when many stores are closed and life slows down here, but I wanted to help however I could.

That’s how we are we love to help.

Even though I was fasting, the moment I met you, I felt something I hadn’t felt in a long time…

I felt alive.

We spent the best days of my life together Ramadan, Eid, and your birthday.

And on your birthday, something strange and beautiful happened: a meteor fell in my city.

I will never forget that day it felt like the universe was celebrating you.

Even though we only spent 10 days together, it felt like years.

Our connection grew stronger, even though I don’t speak English fluently.

Sometimes I didn’t understand every word, but I always understood your spirit.

I tried using Darija, French, even body language

and somehow, it worked.

It was funny and beautiful at the same time.

Sometimes I’d speak and worry you wouldn't understand,

and then you’d speak and I’d understand you perfectly.

That’s something I’ll never forget.

Our story is filled with special memories

Like how it always rained in Agadir when we talked.

Rain is rare in my city, but every time we talked, the sky opened.

I said those rains were messages from you

because our love was pure and real.

I love you, Maureen.

You are the other half of my soul.

I was waiting for you.

And now I just wait for the day we share a home, a life.

I accept every part of you. I love you exactly as you are.

This is our story… and it's only just beginning.

I had sworn off love, convinced myself that it didn’t exist. I decided that I would lock away my heart forever and simply be alone. Maybe I could pursue other things. I tried to start new hobbies, I tried to create art, I even thought about going back to school. But everything I tried felt empty and hollow. I had no idea where my path was leading me but all I knew is that I had to surrender to the tides and drift a while in the current. As I was drifting, something unimaginable happened…a current grabbed me and whisked me away to a life I never could have imagined. I’ll never forget the first message I got from Hicham… “Hey”. It took me aback because it felt so right’s even though we were strangers my soul recognized him like we had known each other for a thousand lifetimes. From the beginning we connected instantly. The way he made me laugh, our little secret jokes, the uncanny similarities we had. And I will never forget the day I told him I had a dream about me in a forest with fairies and he described my own dream to me! He painted this image of my own dream with his words right down to the dress I had been wearing in the dream. It was magical, like he had a window into my soul. Even though we were an ocean apart with a 5 hour time difference we still managed to talk to each other constantly. He was still there for me to talk me down from panic attacks and to make me laugh and smile. He helped me figure out life problems that he didn’t have anything to do with because that’s just the kind of person I fell in love with. We messaged and video chatted so much it felt like he had always just been a staple in my life. Hicham and I spent hours exploring philosophical dilemmas and creating a magical world of our own, only the way two artists could. He listened to me talk about mermaids for far too long, only the way someone who loves and sees you could do, and to my surprise he loved my weird rants and fascinations. The night I knew we were meant to be was the night of the Blood Moon. I went to my favorite beach and watched the entire eclipse by myself, and I narrated my experience to Hicham over text. I sent him all of my thoughts and experiences and videos. While I was sitting on the desolate beach under Venus and Mars wishing the ocean would shrink and connect us so we could finally meet in person, I saw a shooting star! That’s when I knew I had to meet him. But we all know I’m not one to assume or invite myself so I concocted a plan. Maybe I would go to Paris for my 30th birthday and maybe we could meet up while I was there. Maybe….just maybe…. He would say to just come spend my birthday with him in Morocco. And guess what? He did just that! I had no idea what to expect out of a vacation there so he began to show me videos of the most magical place I had ever seen. It was like a place my soul had been missing my entire life, like I was watching photos of my home I had never been to. So I took a chance on him and bet on our love. Before I knew it I was in Morocco! Meeting Hicham at the airport was so special. It was daytime during Ramadan so we couldn’t hug or anything but it felt so magical, maybe because of that. He brought me pink and white roses because he already understood my aesthetic that well. He took me to the most amazing places and planned an entire birthday surprise for me. He even found someone to make me a georgeous cake in the middle of Ramadan! That night he gave me the best gift I ever could have gotten. He asked me to spend my life with him in Morocco, as his wife. I was overjoyed because I hoped and prayed this would happen. Even though people told me I was crazy because we had just met, I told them there was no way they could understand our love. When destiny finds you, it happens fast and you just surrender. I felt more happy and at peace with him in Morocco than I ever had my entire life. While it was only a short visit it felt like time paused and we were together for an eon. Our language barrier, or culture differences never were an issue because were two pieces of the same soul that were meant to find each other and unite for eternity, in this life and the next. With Hicham, I finally know what love is. There’s no other way to describe it. My soul lights a blaze with passion and purpose. I now know why I could never create true lasting roots in America. It’s because my home, the other half of my soul was in Morocco this whole time. I can’t wait to be back on our beach in Agadir under the stars laughing and creating silly inside jokes. I dream of our garden we’ll grow together and the amazing places we'll visit. To Hicham I say this. I love you, more than I ever knew was possible. You give me life and pure energy ever single day and I’m so blessed to have you in my life. If this is the magical beginning of our story, I can’t wait to write the rest of our Epic together one page at a time. This time as Husband and Wife.