This love story began when Kritika moved to Boston in the Summer of 2020. Alone for the first time in a big city, she decided to do what every 20-something does. She decided to download Hinge.
She scoured near and far for matches that met her criteria: slim, trim, and fair.
(Just kidding!)
When Kritika saw Ganesh’s profile for the first time, she was impressed. Here was a man who claimed to have more interests than just beer and football. And he worked at the same hospital as her! “Could this really be?” she wondered. She swiped right and waited. It was a match!
Their conversation bloomed (with the one message-a-day rule she had set for herself…she didn’t want to sound TOO interested, after all). After copious hinting at exactly ALL of the places that she wanted to explore in Boston, Ganesh finally got the message and asked her out to a romantic wine bar on Newbury Street, located in his beloved stomping ground of posh Back Bay. She had told him that wine was her “lifeblood,” after all...
Kritika arrived ten minutes late to the first date (she had gone the wrong way. Back Bay was not her forte, after all). When she got there, she saw Ganesh already seated at an outdoor table. They exchanged greetings and Ganesh mentioned that he had booked a backup restaurant across the street, just in case he hadn’t been able to find a good table at this one. “Aww…” Kritika thought. And her heart pitter-pattered. She was struck by his thoughtfulness and genuinely kind nature. So struck, that she didn’t even notice the shoes that Ganesh had shined so carefully before their date! But that’s okay,
she’s had plenty more chances to hear about shoes since their first date. (Like, A LOT of chances. Like, possibly in every other conversation…).That night, among the strings of fairy lights and twisting green vines on the outdoor patio, their conversation swirled deep into the twilight hours. While the red wine flowed in their glasses, love and passion brewed in their hearts. They bonded over their similar hobbies, families, jobs, and values. They also bonded over the fact that they both had to work early the next morning, on Sunday (that residency life). And so alas, their first magical date came to an end. But the spark had been lit!
They kindled the flame over the next month through long conversations, shared laughs, and weekend dates. Kritika really appreciated the thought that Ganesh put into planning such special dates. He even let her listen to Taylor Swift for hours in the car and took her to Trader Joe’s when they wanted to purchase snacks for a movie night. And Ganesh enjoyed how enthralled Kritika was to see him each and every time – it felt like they had known each other for years.
As fate would have it, Ganesh and Kritika made their relationship official nearly a month after their first date, at a beautiful winery in New Hampshire while overlooking green fields. (We promise that there is a lot more to this relationship than just wine, folks!)
As they continued to get to know each other, they connected over their similarities and laughed over their differences. Kritika taught Ganesh that there was Nature that existed in Back Bay and brought him to visit the Esplanade for the first time. Ganesh taught Kritika the wonders of ordering UberEats, the intricacies of shining shoes, and more about Formula 1 than she ever thought possible.
Then, one cold weekend in January, Ganesh mentioned to Kritika that they should visit his parents in Long Island for the weekend. Unsuspecting, Kritika happily packed her things. When they got to Long Island, Ganesh casually mentioned that he had made reservations at a restaurant in the city and that they would be going to a speakeasy bar beforehand. Kritika dressed in her speakeasy finest and they boarded the train to Manhattan. Once there, Ganesh led her to an unmarked building (good thing he had known her for almost two years at this point, otherwise it may have raised some red flags!), but Kritika still didn’t suspect a thing. After all, she thought, don’t all speakeasy bars have elevators that you need to call ahead to hail, and very specific timings that you can enter? She followed Ganesh into the elevator of the building, watched as he pressed the “12th floor”, and followed him as he walked out onto a deck overlooking the Empire State Building. And then she saw the sign. “Marry me?” it said. And she watched as Ganesh bent down on one knee and asked her the most touching question of her life.
And that is where one story ends, and a new one begins. Thank you all for reading about Kritika and Ganesh’s story. And now, for being a part of their story as well. We so look forward to having the chance to celebrate with each and every one of you in July!