How we met: ‘I told her she was beautiful and she told me I was beautiful too’

Aislynn (left) with Stephanie: ‘It felt as if I’d always known her.’ Photograph: Supplied image

When Stephanie moved to San Diego from London for work in 2014, she had no idea she would meet her best friend. “I was married at the time but my relationship was falling apart,” she says. “I grew up in Luxembourg, then moved to the UK, so most of my friends were still in Europe.”

Although she was enjoying her new postdoctoral position in neuroscience, the work was challenging and she was feeling isolated. One night in January, she went out with some of the PhD students. “It was a really cool whiskey bar. Work was stressful so I really wanted to relax.”