Everyone has given up on love. Which, of course, is when they found it.

Jay Wong and Shawn Lamb grew up with supportive families. Now they want to build one of their own.

After his first date with Shawn Patrick Lamb in January 2019, Jerrold Jenn-yu Wong got into cry. "It was the first time I felt I could be loved unconditionally for who I am," he said.

Dating never had him brought a lot of joy. "It wasn't for lack of trying," said Mr Wong, known to his friends as Jay, "but there is a lot of racism against Asians in the gay community, and after some disappointment , I decided to focus on my career and myself love."

Mr. Lamb shared his apprehension.

"I had a great job, great friends and a great family, but I was skeptical about romance," said Mr. Lamb, 33 years old. Having suffered from a handful of bad relationships, he was almost certain that Mr. Right would not appear anytime soon – if ever.

The two were on Tinder, and they paired up in December 2018. Their playful text banter led to the first date at a Denver bar, where they were living. Anxiety quickly gave way to appeasement, and after several drinks Mr Lamb broke his 'no dinner on the first date' rule and suggested they move to Bar Dough for his favorite pizza.

Hours of conversation included topics typically off limits on a first date: Both said they wanted kids. They also learned that they had each grown up in close and supportive families, Mr. Lamb in Springfield, Pennsylvania, and Mr. Wong in San Francisco. Both parent groups had been active in PFLAG, a support group for parents of L.G.B.T.Q. children, who had played an important role in the acceptance of the sexual orientation of their sons.

The two then said goodbye without kissing. That's when Mr. Wong got emotional while walking home.

Mr. Lamb felt the same way. “I had been on so many one-way dates where I carried the excitement,” he said. "It was completely different."

The following night, they saw each other again and a kiss sealed the evening. A few months later, on St. Patrick's Day, Mr Lamb, dressed in neon green and white striped overalls and fluttering neon green false eyelashes, said the first "I love you." Mr. Wong, surprised, eagerly echoed that sentiment. By 2020, the two had moved in together in Denver.

ImageCredit...Jenna Lee< /figure>

Mr. Lamb holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania and a master's degree in higher education administration from Canisius College in Buffalo. He now works with Deloitte Canada in Toronto, where he is responsible for campus recruiting.

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After graduating from Columbia University with a double major in economics and East Asian languages ​​and cultures, Mr. Wong attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he obtained a double major in management and marketing. He is now executive vice president of Exclusive Resorts, based in Denver.

A year after moving in together, under the guise of a business trip, Mr. Wong made a secret trip to Mr. Lamb's hometown of Springfield to seek his parents' blessing.

Just before sunset, the March 29, 2021, under the guise of taking Mr Lamb to a surprise dinner, Mr Wong blindfolded Mr Lamb before a driver took them to a beachfront lodge where, to Mr Lamb, he was greeted by his younger sister Maggie Lamb, Mr Wong's younger sister Reese Wong and two close friends who had secretly flown that day. On his knees, Mr. Wong has proposed to a tearful Mr. Lamb who is enthusiastic...