One sunny, warm August day, Robin and a friend decided to head to Lake Michigan in Chicago, IL. As it turns out, Souhail and his friend planned the same adventure. At the lake, we were separately hanging out on this tiered rock wall area. Robin had already been swimming in the lake. Souhail stepped up to the water and dipped his toes in, then shivered. He had a big head of hair that shook each time Souhail tested the water. Robin laughed at Souhail, then he turned to the two women and said “I dare you to jump in the water. If you jump in, then my friend and I will too.” Of course, we jumped right in as the water was cool but warm enough to swim in. We hung out for a while, then Robin noticed Souhail’s lips were turning blue. She jumped into action. “Okay, it’s time for you to get out of the water.”

We all laughed and had fun. We shared the ride home and while listening to Robin’s favorite playlist, Souhail mentioned he liked the same band.

I think we already knew there was something special between us, but you know how it goes. We both tried to “play it cool!” Two weeks later, we went to the Greenmill, an amazing jazz club in Chicago and had a blast listening to swing jazz. We walked for hours after the band finished just talking about the world, what we liked, what we wished was better! Our next date, Souhail cooked an amazing meal and to be respectful instead of inviting me to his place, he suggested a picnic. His Moroccan background means everything was absolutely delicious. His mom taught him everything he knows about cooking. He picked up the guitar after we ate, singing songs in French and English. Robin was hooked after that!