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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Lizzie Cernik

How we met: ‘None of my Indian friends had girlfriends. But I liked her too much to say no’

‘I love that we’re best friends’ … Emily and Cyril.
‘I love that we’re best friends’ … Emily and Cyril. Photograph: Courtesy of Emily and Cyril

As a music lover, Emily was excited to join her high school choir on a trip to San Francisco from Riverside, California, in 2011. They attended a competition, which went well, but on the journey back she became fed up of sitting with her friends. “They were talking about boys and being a bit annoying,” she laughs. She spotted Cyril sitting on the coach alone and decided to join him. Although they knew each other through the choir, they had never spoken for very long. “He had taken over playing the piano from me and I’d noticed he was better at it, so there was a bit of rivalry,” she admits. “I did think he was cute, though.”

They spent the nine-hour return trip talking and bonding over their similar tastes in music. “I knew who Emily was before that, but she wasn’t much more than an acquaintance,” says Cyril. “The bus ride was really a turning point for us.” Emily agrees. “It sounds cheesy, but it feels like that is where we fell in love.”

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