Halloween in Bogota

Enter Enrique 

I met him in Bogotá, the night before Halloween in 2017, on a night that was already complicated.

I had just told someone I’d been seeing casually for six months whenever I traveled to South America, that I had somehow caught feelings for him. It wasn’t supposed to be a dramatic confession, but it was messy and awkward, and the night had that mix of tension and relief that always follows saying something you can’t take back.

Unable to tolerate the stifling awkwardness - the man I had confessed my feelings to, Christian, who would confess to me 6 weeks later that he also had feelings for me and would be become my boyfriend, was at that moment scanning the bar for common acquaintances or friends and as such, I met Enrique. 

They weren't close, but were casual acquaintances. He was tall and very thin and had striking dark eyes and perfectly styled hair and this sense of polished presence of moving and speaking. Christian mistakenly thought I was "into" him - and while I did see that he was handsome, there was just something curious about his presence. 

In the 2 years I was with Christian - I'd occasionally see Enrique at parties or clubs. We never hung out, just friendly waves, warm hugs, shared cigarettes, quick conversations. Still, I always remembered him and appreciated his obvious skills in art, design and color as he'd sometimes show me examples of his work on his phone or a project he'd been working on. 

Christian and I broke up in 2020 from the pandemic and almost a year later, Enrique and I connected on social media. Friendly greetings or talking about video games, art, how weird life became and the pandemic.

By 2022, those short exchanges had become real conversations, coincidentally, we realized we had both just moved to a new city in another area in our respective continents and were both trying to restart our lives in a new location.

At some point we started talking almost every night and we both grew intrigued at the clear chemistry and ability to be many things to the other. Some nights we were just friends, swapping stories about bad dates and learning about family. Other nights we were flirting and confessing some attraction. Another night he was helping me figure out lighting for a video; the next I was teaching him about branding, social media, and how to build something stable out of his ideas. It was the kind of rhythm that sneaks up on you until you realize it’s become a part of your day.

By mid-2023 we were close close enough that he was the one who mentioned maybe we should be boyfriends. That idea took me off guard initially, but after some thought, it did make sense. We had already been sharing more of our lives than anyone else. And when he decided to "date" - that’s when The Wizard and the Artist started. It was supposed to be creative, symbolic, something that could hold what we were trying to say about each other. Not just a romantic union, but a powerful one - of business ideas and creativity, of exploring and seeing the world in our complimentary lenses.

We both agreed that we could not really determine the seriousness of this until we saw each other live, and he had decided to relocate to Mexico. For the six months we "dated" - it went mostly well, but as I decided not to fly down in December. We broke up as January started. No fight, no drama, just quiet distance and realizing we were in stages of our lives that were simply not compatible. 

Almost a year later he reached out under a new number and we would text here and there. I was in the middle of a massive business relaunch and was about to move so didn't give it much attention until he finally casually mentioned that he was in Texas. Naturally I just assumed he was joking until he sent me his location on map. I stared at it in shock as he explained he had legally crossed over and was starting a 2 year process. 

After all this time, after years of conversations across countries, we were suddenly in the same continent, country even. Over the next few weeks we fell back into our old rhythm—late-night messages, ideas, excitement about what could be next, the continuous disbelief that we were in the same place. And that as he briefly settled in Miami with a friend, were were no more than 2 hours away by flight.

As I was moving into a bigger house and he was experiencing the overwhelming barrage of what moving to a new country entailed and was trying to get settled, find work, get his paperwork in order, understand 1000 different things while ensuring his family in Colombia and Spain knew he was safe, while living the US cost nightmare - we both got struck by the same idea .

It seemed simple: I am a single person and the house I was moving into was 3.5 rooms I had tons of extra space and a lot of urgent projects that he was uniquely qualified to help with - he had incredible design skills and energy to contribute. We eventually got to our agreement: He could move in without having to pay bills and in exchange he would help with the house - design and take care of it, and he'd be a brand design and visual coordinator for my content. I would pay him partially so he could start to save - and if all went well, we'd revisit in 3 months and I'd help him launch his business. 

It all moved fast. One week he was figuring out logistics and showing me videos of the first time he was at a Miami beach; the next we were looking at flights. Then it was two weeks away, then one, then the night before.

And then it was happening. It was late, and surprisingly, snowing in Charlotte. I was finishing a consulting call, watching an Uber icon crawl closer to my airbnb. And I heard a car idle and a door close - I had told him I'd be on a call and just to let himself in. And I watched as he did - he was just standing there, standing at the door - the person I’d met seven years ago and hadn’t seen in six who I called "boyfriend" for 6 months. He quietly and patiently let me finish my call and when i did - we just looked at each other, stunned by the fact that all the talking, all the planning, had led to this - and more importantly where was it going to go?