Love + Stories: Ryan and Nelly
Passion takes many forms. Need an example? Look no further than our next Love + Stories. Nelly and Ryan met through a mutual friend. These two New Yorkers thrive on the city’s energy, balancing serious careers, school, modeling and a relationship. It may seem overwhelming to most of us, but they make both life and love look easy.
A HARMONIOUS MATCH
With a Puerto Rican father and Dominican mother, Nelly grew up with both strong Latin and musical roots—she was even a DJ for five years. But she didn’t realize that her partner shared her passion for quite a while. “When I first met him, he was very quiet. And then all of a sudden, I discovered that he has this whole wild side. He’s passionate about music. He’s been singing in front of the public for years,” she says with a smile. “One Valentine’s Day, he actually sang to me. I was basically drooling ’cause it was so nice.”
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT YOUR PARTNER?
This couple connects on so many levels it was hard for them to isolate just one special thing. They both echoed appreciating tons of shared interests, similarly hectic schedules, and a matching sense of humor, but Ryan has one very specific thing he admires about Nelly. “I can only dream of being on her level in terms of emotional communication,” he reflects, his face sliding into a proud smile, “That’s her primary superwoman characteristic by far.”
When it was Nelly’s turn to share what she admires about Ryan, she revealed a unique virtue: “He is a workaholic. Nothing wrong with that, but he is so passionate and driven. It’s actually very exciting and it pushes me, too.”
One more thing that they love about each other is their fighting style. Passionate people often have strong opinions and the way two people handle those fiery emotions can make or break a relationship. “Everyone has arguments and disagreements,” Ryan explains, “but I think our conflict resolution strategies—or whatever you want to call it—are great. Even if we are really angry at each other, we still are always able to come back and work it out calmly, after the tempestuous fire comes out.”
IS AN ENGAGEMENT RING IS ON THE WAY?
These two are obviously a great team and making it official is definitely on their minds. And speaking of strong opinions, Nelly has one about her engagement ring preferences. “I never really knew what kind of ring I liked. I went to the Blue Nile website, and I started looking. I know that a square-cut diamond is not for me,” she emphasized with a gesture, then casually added, “But anything else is beautiful.” Ryan was definitely taking note. “I won’t be looking for a square-cut any time soon,” he stated seriously.
HOW DO YOU DEFINE LOVE?
By the time we asked this talented, intelligent couple the big question, we weren’t surprised that they had strikingly similar definitions—and ones best expressed in their own words. Ryan explained his holistic take. “You have to be able to understand that wanting the best for somebody is still the guiding purpose behind everything. And as long as that’s there, I guess you can call it love.”
Nelly expressed how her emotional definition of love changed once she met Ryan. “Once upon a time, I thought love was like a Cinderella story. But it’s not really like that. For me, love is somebody that can be there for you. Somebody that fights the hardest fights and is there. So I think that’s, for me, love.”
We fell head over heels for all of the passions that keep this connection strong. Have your own love story? #bluenilesparkle and share it with us.
