Clarisse and Steph met over Bumble, but their entire relationship has been long-distance, but they’ve made it work.
You had a first date rather quickly, tell us about how you met.
C: We met in April of 2019 and have basically been together since then, officially since June, though. We met at a Maggie Rogers concert in Oakland! I was at the show alone since a friend couldn’t make it last minute, so I hopped onto Bumble looking for someone to go with me, and Steph was the first person I matched with! We hit it off and haven’t stopped since!
What is one of your favorite memories together?
C: Ahhh, I honestly have so many! But one that I love thinking about is when we had spent the entire day apple picking with some of my friends and came home to make some baked apple goods. I threw on some Fleetwood Mac (my forever fave), and we were singing along and having fun baking. My favorite song, ‘Silver Springs,’ came on and we slow danced in the kitchen for a bit while it played in the background. It was such a sweet moment that I love reliving in my head!
S: While we have made so so many amazing memories adventuring and going to fun events and places, some of my favorite memories are the simple days we’ve had in our hometowns just being together. One of the best days was when we spent the day just hanging out together. We got these amazing milkshakes, made our own little cheeseboard, and eventually went out to our sunset spot. As we watched the sunset, we were both clearly trying to work up the courage to tell the other person, “I love you” for the first time and just complimenting each other for hours. While it took a long time for one of us to do it, the relief was immediate. We haven’t stopped saying it whenever we get a chance since.
But I still cherish the moments before, and how really neither of us had to say it. We already knew, and we were using different words for it until we were ready.
You’re long-distance lovers, how has that been?
C: We’ve been long distance since we met, so getting to know each other was limited to FaceTime calls, many texts, and short weekend visits. We’ve done pretty well so far, though! We’re lucky flights are pretty inexpensive, and we both were willing to make it work from the beginning.
S: The long-distance has been our biggest challenge, mainly because we both have pretty busy schedules, and it can be tough to see each other as much as we would like to. BUT we talk and text pretty much every day and make the time to have a lot of FaceTime dates, and just being able to fall asleep together (even on a screen) makes the distance feel a little closer.
Okay, that’s beautiful. If you had to tell us your favorite thing about each other, what would you say?
C: Only one?! Wow, make it hard for me. One of my top favorite things is her personality and how well we vibe with each other. She’s so smart and fun to be around and is just such a warm person in general – everyone loves her.
S: Oh wow, where do I start. While I could go on for days, if I have to choose just one, I will say her positivity. Clarisse is one of the most hardworking people I have ever met. Even after working all day every day, she is still so happy, silly, and witty and just an overall blast to be around. With all these awesome interests and talent absolutely beyond belief, she is still the most down-to-Earth and wonderful person to be around.
And, what’s in the future for you both?
C: Lots of great things! Traveling together, more weekend trips, definitely lots of FaceTime dates, and eventually solidifying future plans together!
S: So so much! Petting every dog we see, seeing new places, filling our spaces with houseplants. And for now, just enjoying every moment we get to see each other- whether physical or digital.
Photography by Marissa Hyland
