Dr. Raymond Joseph Parungao and Andrew Chih-Hao Chen have been attracted to one another the moment their eyes locked.
It was Feb. 28, 2010, they usually have been on the homosexual bar the Abbey in West Hollywood, Calif.
“The music was loud, but it surely pale away as I stared at Andrew,” Dr. Parungao mentioned.
“I noticed Ray, and time simply stopped,” Mr. Chen mentioned. “I used to be like, ‘Who is that this?’ I needed to discover out extra.”
The 2, who have been there with mutual buddies, bought drinks, headed to a quiet nook and began speaking. They parted methods round midnight and made plans for a date three days later, once more on the Abbey.
Dr. Parungao, 55, was the primary to reach. “My coronary heart was beating quick as I waited for Andrew,” he mentioned. “I hadn’t stopped enthusiastic about him since we met.”
That night made it clear that their mutual want was intense and genuine. They chatted for hours about their households, upbringings and shared love of journey. “We talked about every little thing and nothing and will have chatted for days,” mentioned Mr. Chen, 37. “By the top of the evening, we have been speaking about vacationing collectively and even beginning a household.”
The next month, they exchanged rings as an emblem of their dedication, and eight months after assembly, Mr. Chen moved into Dr. Parungao’s West Hollywood condominium.
On the time, Mr. Chen was working as a department supervisor for a financial institution in Los Angeles, however had goals of being a hairstylist. In September 2013 he did some work at New York Trend Week, “and after that have, what New York supplied me professionally was calling me,” Mr. Chen mentioned. “I made a decision to maneuver.”
Dr. Parungao was working as a pediatric intensive care physician at Kaiser Permanente in Los Angeles and his contract made relocating a problem. The 2 cut up amicably, and in October 2013, Mr. Chen left for Manhattan. “I wished Andrew to be free to comply with his ardour and didn’t need him to really feel the burden of a long-distance relationship,” Dr. Parungao mentioned.
They remained shut and continued to talk day by day. In June 2016, they rekindled their romance when Dr. Parungao visited Mr. Chen and the 2 attended the Satisfaction parade. “We have been dancing to Kylie Minogue who was performing ‘All of the Lovers’ on the live performance on the pier, and all I may do was stare at Ray,” Mr. Chen mentioned. “We kissed and knew that there was no being aside.”
They determined to strive bicoastal courting, with every taking turns flying to see the opposite two to 3 weekends a month. Marriage was within the playing cards. “We had talked about it early on in our relationship however by no means mentioned how or when,” Dr. Parungao mentioned.
They turned engaged in September 2016 whereas on a visit to Iceland with Mr. Chen’s mom, Patty Chen, to have a good time her sixtieth birthday.
The trio took a night bus tour by means of the countryside close to Reykjavik to see the northern lights. Once they stopped alongside a subject, Dr. Parungao requested Mr. Chen, with Ms. Chen wanting on, if he would marry him. “We did a three-way hug and cried beneath the lights,” Mr. Chen mentioned.
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Dr. Parungao, who grew up in Conyers, Ga., has a bachelor’s diploma within the historical past of science from Johns Hopkins College and a grasp’s diploma in public well being from George Washington College. He holds a medical diploma from Howard College.
Mr. Chen is from Diamond Bar, Calif., and works as a contract hairstylist on the Stephen Knoll salon in New York. He has a bachelor’s diploma in enterprise administration from Pepperdine College and studied hairdressing at Santa Monica Faculty. He’s now in his remaining 12 months in a graduate program in environmental science at The New Faculty.
After their engagement, they continued their bicoastal lives, besides throughout Covid, when Mr. Chen was with no job and moved to Los Angeles for 2 years.
However by 2024, after they returned to their bicoastal relationship, residing aside was sporting on each. “I took Kaiser’s early retirement package deal and moved to New York in February to be with Andrew full time,” Dr. Parungao mentioned.
They now reside in Lengthy Island Metropolis, Queens, and are within the course of of getting a baby by means of a surrogate. “It’s such a way of aid,” Mr. Chen mentioned. “We are able to go on spontaneous walks collectively or seize lunch with out every little thing being preplanned.”
On Feb. 28, 15 years after first assembly, Mr. Chen and Dr. Parungao have been married by Yanfang Chen, an officiant on the Manhattan Metropolis Clerk’s workplace, with their dad and mom as witnesses.
After the ceremony, they did a photograph shoot at Metropolis Corridor Park and took a Zumba dance class. That night, the couple celebrated with 70 members of the family and buddies on the Chinese language restaurant Shan in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn.
“We danced, we cried, we cheered, we toasted,” Mr. Chen mentioned.
