It all started with a GroupMe message the day before their orientation at Harvard Law School. Yes, a GroupMe message. On August 25, 2021, at 9:52 PM EST, Juliette sent a message to Marcos that read, "I am so excited to have a like minded individual in our section...like you have no idea [crying laughing emoji]." Cue the cringe. Marcos responded just 27 minutes later.

And that was the last GroupMe message the two ever sent to each other. Thank God.

"I sent the GroupMe message after my roommate Frances walked into my room to tell me that there was this Texan in my section who was conservative and Christian," Juliette recalls. "I immediately knew I had to connect with him. Looking back, very embarrassing!"

The next day, amid all the fury of orientation, Juliette remembers that Marcos stood out in the crowd. She ran up to him immediately, saying (rather matter-of-factly), "We're going to be best friends." And she didn't leave his side for the rest of the day.

"Juliette had a lot of energy -- which is still true! It was so cool that we had so many similarities. And obviously," Marcos adds, "I thought she was cute."

Throughout the first three days at HLS, Juliette and Marcos formed their core friend group. Together with Chris Moore, Sophie Pereira, and Yudith Pereira-Lopez, this friend group -- called "Toes" for undisclosed reasons -- became inseparable. Chris and Marcos met months before in Austin, Texas, and they became fast friends who lived together for all three years of law school. Juliette lived with Sophie in their iconic 32 Sparks Street house, and Yudith all but joined them, eager to escape her dorm room. Together, "Toes" would explore Boston and Seaport, grab late-night dinners and ice cream, and suffer through all their 1L classes.

"I think some of my favorite hangouts were watching the Lord of Rings series," Marcos remembers. "But, honestly, I fell asleep on the couch every time, so I don't remember much of it."

Marcos and Juliette both equally credit "Toes" for their relationship. "It was truly the worst of times and the best of times," says Juliette. "We were all stressed out of our mind and drowning in our 18-credit hour course load. But we had each other, and the five of us truly bonded more deeply than I could have ever imagined."

At first, Juliette and Marcos were just two friends in a close-knit friend group, doing everything they could just to make it through the fall semester. But even then, Juliette remembers that, without a doubt, Marcos was the kindest and most sincere man in their section -- someone who would go out of his way to make every person feel seen and special, taking precious study hours to talk to classmates about religion or even politics.

"I was immediately struck by Juliette's thoughtfulness towards others, including your friends," Marcos remembers. "But what really won me over was her willingness to be goofy."

Everything began to change when "Toes" and their extended friend group took a trip to Park City, Utah to ski in January. "We found out in December that our J-term class would be online, so we decided to take a trip together, skiing in the afternoon once our classes were over," Marcos recalls.

The one, tiny wrinkle was that Marcos and Juliette had never skied before. Ski classes? No time. Friends? Clearly the best teachers. After Yudith and Chris spent hours teaching Juliette and Marcos to stop falling (to no avail), Yudith decided that Juliette and Marcos were ready to "ski down the mountain to go home." Sam Lewis, their friend from their Section, joined them on the fateful escapade.

"I have never been more terrified in my entire life," Juliette laughs. "The mountain was starting to ice as the sun set, and we somehow ended up on moguls! Yudith was doing her best to keep us calm, but I had a massive panic attack. I'm terrified of heights!"

"Juliette was really freaking out, and I was freaking out internally," Marcos jokes. "I was still trying to look cool! But when we were both freaking out together, it was a real bonding moment."

"All I really remember is that Marcos scooted over to me on his skis and looked me dead in the eye," Juliette says. "He told me 'You can do this. You're gonna be okay.' And in that moment I saw how he took a step out of his own panic to help me through mine. It meant a lot."

Back down at the cabin, and after scooting down an entire mountainside in front of hundreds of onlookers, both Juliette and Marcos had a new bond. Despite their extreme humiliation, their friendship started to bloom into just something a little bit more.

By Valentine's Day in the next semester, Juliette and Marcos had spent a lot of time together on-on-one. What were they up to? Mainly trips to McDonalds and Taco Bell. "Don't judge! It was law school and a very dark time!" Juliette remarks.

But it wasn't until a Valentine's Day Singles Party (the infamous place for all romances to begin) that Juliette realized that Marcos might possibly be something more than a friend.

In late February, Marcos asked Juliette on their first official date. "We were at the gym together," says Juliette, "and he came up to me in the middle of my set and asked rather quickly if I wanted to go to dinner. It was truly the most awkward moment of our entire relationship. I said yes, and continued my set."

"I ended up moving the date up several days, which is why I asked in the gym. It was truly quite awkward," Marcos jokes. "But I took her out to a Korean restaurant, and she trusted me with the entire order. We had great conversations and it was a really good time. I was definitely interested in going on more dates."

"And he brought me flowers!" Juliette adds.

By April 2, it was "official" and the two became their Section's first official couple. Much to their embarrassment, everyone knew immediately. And no one was surprised.

"Marcos was someone I always felt safe with. Someone with whom I could be my truest self, free from all judgment. And when he asked me if I wanted to be his girlfriend, it felt like the most natural thing in the world to say yes," Juliette remembers.

Although they only started dating "officially" in April, Juliette recalls texting Yudith and Sophie in May after the end of 1L finals that she knew Marcos was the one.

Juliette remembers the moment perfectly: "We were visiting Marcos's cousins in Fort Lauderdale after we finished finals. He was surrounded by his cousins, and I remember watching him play with his young cousins. He loves his family so much, and it was clear in that moment that Marcos was not only brilliant, handsome, and charismatic, but he valued family and his faith above everything. That was the moment I knew."

That night, Marcos told Juliette he loved her for the first time.

Throughout law school, Juliette and Marcos's relationship deepened. It was always an intentional relationship, centered around faith, and it was clear from the very beginning that both were in it for the long term.

"I think I realized Juliette was the one pretty early on," Marcos remembers. "I mean, I figured we were either going to make it or break it. That meant figuring out if we were marriage-compatible pretty quickly. It really started to come together during 2L - - where we pushed each other in faith and learned how to serve each other. That sealed the deal for me. So by the end of 2L year, it was just a matter of having the courage to ask!"

But it wasn't until September of 3L year that engagement arrived on the horizon.

"Marcos was driving me home after dinner during the first few weeks of the semester," Juliette recalls. "We were in the midst of some heated debate -- in other words, it was not a romantic moment. And he looked over at me and, truly without any warning, asks 'What kind of ring do you want?' I've never been more speechless."

"I had been planning an engagement for several months," Marcos recalls. "I assumed ripping off the bandaid with that question was the best way!"

For two months, Marcos planned an elaborate engagement scheme. "I wanted the engagement to be a surprise -- she loves and hates surprises at the same time," Marcos says. "The whole time, I was so nervous that the engagement was going to get out. But we were able to keep it a secret (Thank you, Sophie!)."

On October 14, Marcos popped the question. "I took her back to Seaport, which was one of the first places we went to together outside of Cambridge," Marcos recounts. "I planned to ask her on the pier overlooking Boston Harbor. What I remember most is that I was carrying the ring in my front coat pocket. While we were walking, Juliette tried to link her hand through my arm and put her hand right against the ring box. I thought all was lost! But thankfully I just sped up a bit and she didn't even realize what happened."

Neither of them remember what Marcos said when he knelt on one knee. But the surprise was perfectly executed. After Juliette's initial shock and yelling "No!" several times because of her disbelief, she fell on her knees and said a tear-filled "Yes."

And the rest is history.

The year Marcos and Juliette have had is not for the faint of heart: graduating from Harvard Law School, moving from Boston to Houston, studying for the bar exam, taking the bar exam, and starting two new jobs, respectively. And the wedding is just the icing on the cake.

2024 will be a year for the books, and they are excited to celebrate with their families and closest friends.

Editor's Note: Juliette attempted to interview Marcos for this interview as if she were a third-party interviewer. He said "No," but willingly provided his commentary so long as she asked as herself.