The first interview goes as well as it could. As Celeste quietly walks around behind the cameras, I ask them about how they met (a science GE class during their first year), how they defined the relationship (he asked her to be his girlfriend during a date at the Rose Garden in Golden Gate Park), and their biggest struggles (communication and making time for one another despite their challenging academic and internship loads). Even though they’re young, I also ask them about their advice for other couples (don’t assume that the other person can read your mind) and their hopes and future plans (to get married after graduation and get jobs close to one another).

I wrap up by asking them one last question: “How do you define love?”

Sarah and Will look at each other, their gazes growing soft.

“The warm sunlight after a cold winter,” Sarah says.

“Wow,” Will says, genuinely impressed. “See, you can tell she’s an English major, because that was beautiful. I’m not as good with words, but I will say this. For me, love is Sarah. No one and nothing else.”

“Aw!” Sarah exclaims. “That’s so sweet!”

The two of them make me nostalgic about college, a relatively simple time where my biggest problems were passing a midterm or a final. And of course, a girl named Celeste, who was once the most important person in my life before she seemingly vanished into thin air.

Well, the latter is still one of my problems.

The next couple we have scheduled for the day is queer, with Shriya, a desi lesbian girl, and Case, a nonbinary East Asian individual. Shriya has long, dark hair that directly contrasts with Case’s buzz cut, which is dyed in all shades of the rainbow. Unlike the first couple, they’re not dressed in any college paraphernalia, but they still have the same nervous, youthful energy.

After Celeste gets them set up, I ask them the same questions I asked the first couple. Their answers start similarly to the previous ones, but things diverge when we get to the question about struggles.

“Honestly the biggest challenge for me in terms of our relationship was trying to figure out if they were into me as more than a friend in the first place,” says Shriya. “I didn’t even know they were into girls.”

“And I didn’t know she was into nonbinary people like me,” Case responds with a laugh. “I think what’s also hard is people often think we’re just two friends, instead of a romantic couple.”

“My family also still thinks Case is a girl, even though I’ve told them multiple times that they’re not,” Shriya adds. “It’s always a struggle whenever I go back home.”