As Valentine’s Day hangs around the corner, Juniors Kevin Chavez and Monea Alvarez plan on spending the day at their favorite restaurant, Tokyo Wako, for an evening of fun and laughter.
The two first met at Oak Avenue Intermediate School through a prank call dare, and soon after began Myspace messaging each other (back when it was still cool and up-to-date). Sparks flew and although Chavez was “friendzoned” at first, they jumped over that hurdle and began to date. They have been together for two and a half years—a solid testament that it is indeed possible to get out of the dreaded “friend zone.”
The two like to keep their relationship strong with spontaneous dates to unexpected places. They’ve also made many fond and fun memories over the years such as a drive through La Cañada in the dark to look for a place to sit and enjoy city views.
“We were driving around trying to find the spot that Yelp recommended, but we got lost and had to go back because she had to use the restroom really badly,” Chavez said. “She was scared of how dark it was and kept begging me to turn around.”
Not only does this pair love having their own adventures, but they also enjoy watching movies, visiting new restaurants and baking together. They plan on walking their dogs together and going to dog beaches. Since they love trying new things, Alvarez and Chavez are planning to go on a road trip either during spring break or summer vacation.
“He always surprises me with sweet gestures,” Alvarez said. “He surprised me for my birthday and took me to Disneyland. I fell asleep on the car ride, and when I woke up, we were there. I was so excited that I slapped him.”
Although they have been together for so long, they have also experienced their own ups and downs. The juniors took a break for almost a year when they hit a rough patch, but the two got back together when they realized how much they valued their relationship.
“I really missed her. I would be talking to someone and my thoughts would go back to Monea,” Chavez said. “What I like about her is that not only is she funny and beautiful to me, but that she’s also extremely caring and sweet.”
Chavez and Alvarez hope to stay together. Chavez hopes to land a career playing baseball, and Alvarez is content as long as they are near each other.
“We like to travel and go places with each other,” Alvarez said. “But anything is fine, as long as we’re together.”