However, six years later, another stranger would bring them together, and they reconnected. We can agree that at this point, they were meant to be, and in ten short months, they got married on Valentine\u2019s Day.<\/a><\/p>\n Sounds like something out of a novel, right? xoNecole had the opportunity to chat with the lovely couple about their wedding, reconnecting<\/a>, and having a second chance at love.<\/p>\n Photo courtesy of Kai and Hicham Bouhmad<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Kai and Hicham on Meeting for the First Time<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n Kai and Hicham got married on February 14, 2023, in Honolulu, Hawaii<\/a> in an intimate ceremony, and plan on having a reception in Morocco, Hicham\u2019s home country, later on. One of their wedding guests was the person responsible for their union, Hicham\u2019s friend Karim. Kai reflected on that day when they met<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI was at a party, and a guy walked in and was like, what\u2019s going on in here? And I was like, well, this is a salon party for the salon that just opened, and they had free food and stuff, and I was like do you want some food?\u201d Kai shares. <\/p>\n When they began talking, Karim brought up Hicham. \u201cHe was like, ‘I have a friend that I want to introduce you to if you\u2019re single,’ and I said, \u2018Yeah, that sounds cool.\u2019 So, he was like, ‘Well, I\u2019m gonna send you his Facebook information. If you guys can talk on Facebook and see how you guys like each other.’ So, that was six years ago, and we talked, and we got along pretty well, and then we started dating.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Kai and Hicham Describe Their First Date<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n Because both of them are into the arts, they decided to go to the movies on their first date<\/a>. At that time, Loving<\/em> was in theaters, and according to Kai, she knew when she saw him that she wanted to marry him. \u201cI just had that feeling,\u201d she reveals.<\/p>\n Hicham also recalls their \u201cwonderful\u201d date that extended after the movies at a nearby restaurant. \u201cIt was a wonderful moment when we made eye contact,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Photo courtesy of Kai and Hicham Bouhmad<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Their Breakup and Reconnection\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n While Kai saw Hicham as her husband, she wasn\u2019t ready to settle down, but Hicham was. So, they decided to go their separate ways, and Kai began traveling the world. But little did she know that six years later, she would see him again. This time, Kai was visiting an art gallery that had just opened up and began talking to the art gallery owner.<\/p>\n \u201cShe [art gallery owner] said, \u2018I\u2019m having an art opening, the studio just opened, and we\u2019re having a party next week, and you should come, and my boyfriend has a lot of friends, maybe I\u2019ll introduce you to some of his friends,\u2019 and I was like \u2018Oh, okay,\u2019 Kai recalls. <\/p>\n \u201cAnd at this time, I had already booked my ticket to go to Morocco to explore by myself, solo travel<\/a>. So I said, ‘Oh yeah, this will be fun.’ This was in April, and my trip to Morocco was just in August. So, I said, \u2018Yeah, I\u2019ll come to your little party, I\u2019m there.\u2019 I\u2019m talking, and then she said ‘Oh, my boyfriend is here, and here\u2019s one of his friends.’ One of his friends was Hicham.\u201d<\/p>\n This happened on April 23, 2022, and they have been together ever since.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Engagement\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n When Hicham reappeared in her life, Kai knew she was now ready to settle down<\/a>. \u201cI honestly got tired of doing stuff by myself. I was tired, everything I have to do by myself, and I just got tired of that,\u201d Kai explains. \u201cI just felt like I really wanted a partner who\u2019s really supportive and generous and kind, and I really wanted a partner that was by my side.<\/p>\n One of the ways that Hicham convinced Kai to give him another shot was when he wore a cactus shirt to her house, which showed the journalist how much he paid attention to her. \u201cI love cactuses \u2018cause it reminds me of the desert. It\u2019s bohemian, I love desert cactuses. When he showed up with a cactus shirt on, I just could not resist,\u201d she says. \u201cThat sounds cheesy and cliche and might sound silly, but it just symbolized that he knows me deeply and what I love and paid attention to stuff I care about even though it was silly. That meant a lot.\u201d <\/p>\n Not long after, Hicham knew it was time to pop the question. \u201cKai gave me [an] indication that she was ready, and so that\u2019s how that all happened.\u201d He continues, \u201cdropping hints, and she was pretty much ready, and I proposed to her.\u201d <\/p>\n Kai admits that they planned their engagement together, including ring shopping, engagement photos, etc.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Photo courtesy of Kai and Hicham Bouhmad<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Advice on Finding Love Again<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n This is both Kai\u2019s and Hicham\u2019s second marriages, and they gave advice on finding love<\/a> the second time around. They both share the same sentiment about being open and optimistic. Both come from different cultural backgrounds<\/a> and while that alone could have held them back from pursuing one another, they were open to love.<\/p>\n \u201cGet out of your comfort zone<\/a> and don\u2019t limit yourself and don\u2019t fear to fail because from failure<\/a> you learn to build yourself up,\u201d Hicham says.<\/p>\n And at the end of the day, it\u2019s important to establish a friendship first<\/a>. \u201cAnother [piece of] advice, just make sure you like the person,\u201d Kai says, \u201cand that\u2019s really important because you have to make sure even if you have a disagreement or arguments, at the end of the day, you have to ask yourself, do I like this person? And just make sure you really like them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Feature image courtesy of Kai and Hicham Bouhmad<\/em><\/p>\n Originally published on April 21, 2023<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.xonecole.com\/media-library\/image.jpg?id=33519908&width=980\")
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