Falling For You

FALLING LIFESTYLE FOR YOU

By Jessica Katz, Lifestyle Editorial Assisstant

Photographed by Hunter Kiehl, Staff Photographer

Modeled by Seth DeGier and Zach Lipo Zovic

Iremember falling in love for the first time. I fell hard. And although I caught feelings quickly, I knew my love was genuine. Whenever I’d look at him, I got butterflies. He made my heart happy, and the feeling was magical. Yet love, and falling in love, is incredibly difficult to put into words.

I spoke with four couples of different ages and sexualities and had the pleasure of hearing their love stories, what love meant to each of them. I learned that love has no boundaries — it comes naturally, and when you feel it, you never want to let go.

Kora & Jeremy

~1.5 Years

Kora and Jeremy met the summer before they both started college. Kora was working as a hostess at an Italian restaurant when Jeremy and his parents stopped by. Kora must’ve caught his eye, as later that night, Jeremy called the restaurant to speak to Kora and ask her out on a date.

Kora started catching feelings when she learned about Jeremy’s dream to become a composer. said Kora. “Because I want to be an author; that’s my dream. So we’re both super passionate about writing, in our own ways.”

Kora had said, ‘I love you’ to previous boyfriends in high school, but she would describe Jeremy as her first real love.

“I told him some things about me that I’ve never told anyone before,” said Kora. “And I had just met him, but I felt so comfortable immediately. And of course, it wasn’t something he could relate to, but he was able to listen and have some really thoughtful things to say.”

“I was reading a book the other day,” said Kora. “And in the book, the characters were in love, but everything was so dramatized and everything they said was so colorful. … To me, that felt really unrealistic. Because in the beginning, it was very much like that. Now, it’s more-so safety and comfort.”

David & Fleurette

23 Years

It was New Year’s Eve. Fleurette and her girlfriends attended a party at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. A little before midnight, Fleurette suggested she and her friends head to the dance floor. →

“I turned around and I saw him, and he was, like, the cutest guy,” said Fleurette. “So I walked up to him … and that’s how we met. … The very next day, he called me, so I knew he didn’t play games. And I really liked that.”

Their connection was instant. Every day, David would make an effort to call and see Fleurette — they talked constantly. Even within the first week, he sent her a bouquet of roses.

Fleurette explained, “He was so sweet and genuine. I just knew right away that he was the one.”

David proposed 9 months later, after asking Fleurette’s father for permission to marry his daughter. He set the scene, scattering roses around her bedroom.

“He was very nervous, it was cute,” said Fleuette. “I was so excited, and my ring was so pretty, so I immediately ran down, crying, to tell my parents the good news.”

To Fleurette, love is comfortable, secure, euphoric. She fell in love with David because she just knew he was the right person for her.

After around 20 years of marriage, she notices a difference in their love. As they’ve matured, raising two children and a dog, so has their relationship.

“We’re able to take care of each other,” said Fleurette. “With stress from work or anything, we’re there for each other. And I know he’ll always be there for me.”

Kate & Nick

4 Years

Kate and Nick officially met their sophomore year of high school.

“We started hanging out in friend groups, but it was really a ploy for me and Kate to spend time [together], a nice time for me to get to know her and plant the seeds,” said Nick.

Quickly, they both caught feelings. After a few weeks, Nick asked Kate to be his girlfriend. And within the first few months of their relationship, they had both fallen in love.

“The same way I feel now is the way I felt then, just a more youthful version,” said Nick. “It’s still the same feeling, in the sense of deep affection I have for him,” said Kate. “But it’s matured. … When we’re going to college or graduate, we actually get to plan that life together.”

To Nick, Kate has a sweetness and radiates this real warmth that drew him in initially. To Kate, Nick is a constant source of support and kindness.

Kate explained, “We play off each other really well. … So, we annoy each other in the perfect way. If I’m being quiet, he’ll tell a bunch of stupid, silly jokes, even if I’m not in the mood, until I’m laughing again.”

Nick describes being in love as always wanting the best for one another. To him, Kate is like family. They’ve transitioned from high school to college, and they continue to grow together.

Kate describes love as “a deep connection of mutual beneficialness.”

“When I’m around him, I feel so happy, so warm, so loved, and it’s great for me,” said Kate. “But there’s also, he could ask for anything and I’d want to climb a mountain for him.”

Seth & Zach

~7 Months

Seth and Zach followed a more modern love story — in January, they met on Tinder. They hung out once, but with the start of quarantine, they began to talk more and more. By midMarch, the conversation advanced from text to Facetime.

“We started Facetiming almost every single night, and we would talk for like three to five hours every night,” explained Seth. “He eventually pulled his guitar out. … Every night he would sing to me and he would play his guitar.”

After months of constant communication, Seth finally visited Zach in his hometown in late-June. On June 28, Seth made a move and asked Zach to officially be his boyfriend. Zach immediately said yes.

Seth said, “the moment I realized that I liked him was about a couple of nights into us Facetiming. We actually stayed up from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., like we pulled an all-nighter because we completely lost track of time. And after I hung up, I was like I don’t think I’ve ever talked to someone for that long, and I definitely like him.”

To Seth, love involves feelings of safety and complete comfortability. He knows he’s in love when he wants to show off his partner and openly be proud of the relationship.

“He came over to my apartment, and we were just talking back and forth,” said Seth. “He made a joke. We kept going back and forth, and we were just laughing for like five minutes straight. And after that, I was like … I love him.”■