One day in April 2015, Darian (then a junior at Stanford University) made a stop at Claremont McKenna College on his way to a music festival, where friends briefly introduced him to Melanie (then a sophomore at Claremont McKenna College). Darian caught Melanie's eye and she never forgot him.

A year later in the spring of 2016, Melanie and a friend made an overnight stop at Stanford, where her friend's boyfriend attended school, before they'd continue up to Sonoma for the weekend. After returning from a Senior Night out, Darian was pleased to see Melanie sleeping in his dorm room the next morning and joined for her campus tour "just so he could flirt with her."

Melanie and Darian kept in touch over the next year, with Darian visiting Melanie at Claremont McKenna College on his drive out to Texas, and in the spring of 2017, Melanie flew to visit Darian in Houston for the first time.

While Melanie was living in San Francisco and Darian was living in Houston, they made their relationship official as a long-distance couple.

In 2019, Melanie made the move to Texas, and she and Darian enjoyed a blissful few months together before Darian departed for France as an ex-pat. Miss Rona then made her appearance, and fast-forward to 2021, Melanie and Darian moved to Austin, Texas.

For their 6th anniversary, Melanie and Darian traveled to Puerto Rico where they fell in love with the local cuisine, architecture, and snorkeling scene. On a secluded beach in complete privacy after snorkeling and collecting sea shells, Darian proposed to Melanie amidst the sun and salty sea.

In 2024, Melanie and Darian returned to California and are thrilled to celebrate their love with a wedding in Los Angeles, a city where they spent much special time early in their relationship and which they are very fond of.