Love Stories: Juan Ceballos and Jonathan Sorsabal

Millennials meet online, and that was the case for Juan and me. Unfortunately, online dating instills a certain cynicism that makes the whole experience feel futile.

This is how both of us felt upon meeting in 2013, but I can report that love-at-first-sight is real. The cynicism evaporated and an arms race of romantic gestures followed, each carefully designed to reiterate to the other that he was not only loved but cherished. Juan proved the winner of that contest when he managed to arrange a weeklong vacation without my knowledge, coordinating with my employer and family so that I was totally oblivious.

I was whisked away to the airport one Friday afternoon – freaking out about being back to work on Monday, I was reassured everything had been taken care of. I did not know our destination until we got the airline boarding passes: Nicaragua. There, I was whisked away again on the third night of our stay, this time to a private bonfire dinner on a secluded beach. With the bonfire lit, and the familiar notes of “our song” playing just above the sound of the ocean waves, Juan proposed. I planned the wedding on a beach at sunset in Puerto Rico – where Juan was born and raised – and while it was magical, I could never outdo the engagement.

We both grew up thinking we would never get married because of the barriers society, religion and our own families had erected for us. Over the course of our relationship, the barriers to marriage came down, and so did our preconceived notions. We are living a storybook romance in spite of society’s expectations or our own cynical ideas. Valentine’s Day can be a hard experience for the cynics, as it once was for us. Our message to you is that love is out there, and you deserve it.