The Love That Stays; Why Him (Daniel Gonzalez)

By Kayla Milhon
Staff writer
IG: kaylaa.ml_

Love Isn’t About Timing — It’s About Who Stays
People always say not to fall in love too fast. My mom told me that my whole life because of what she had been through. She wanted me to be careful, to take my time, to protect my heart. And honestly, that’s good advice.
But sometimes love doesn’t follow rules — it shows up in a person who proves they’re worth it.
Daniel Gonzalez and I have known each other since first grade. We weren’t friends. We didn’t even play together on the playground. We were just two kids in the same place at the same time. If you would’ve told me back then that he’d become the love of my life, I wouldn’t have believed you.
Everything changed the summer before our senior year at Hugoton High School in southwest Kansas. I was having a terrible day — crying, looking like a mess, mascara streaks on my face, ratty T-shirt and pajama shorts. His friend came to drop off a snowball that my best friend got me, and Daniel happened to be there. He asked his friend for my number, and the first thing he ever texted me was, “Hi, I don’t know if you know me, I’m Daniel, and I think you’re absolutely beautiful.” 
That was May 11, 2024.
The next day, he met my whole family. Things didn’t move fast after that — we were still figuring each other out. It wasn’t until later, after everything that happened with my family, that I realized he was the person I wanted to be with.
Then, on June 23, 2024, he asked me to be his girlfriend. He asked my mom first and got her permission, which meant a lot to me. He took me to Liberal. We ate at a little Mexican restaurant, then watched “Inside Out 2”. I could tell he was nervous, but I just thought it was because it was our first official date. We had been hanging out almost every day before that.
After the movie, he asked me to drive to a park that meant something to me. When we got there, he had me sit in the passenger seat and blindfolded me. I honestly thought he might be joking — or even that he was going to kidnap me — but then something in his voice made all my silly thoughts drift away. He walked me to the back of his car, still blindfolded, and when he took it off, there was a sign that said, “Will you be my girlfriend?” There were roses, my favorite snacks, music playing — it was perfect. I said yes. That was the first time I ever said yes, not knowing what the future would hold — but somehow knowing he was the one.
Love isn’t about perfect timing — it’s about the person. Later that year, my life got turned upside down. I had to step away from my family to figure out who I was on my own, and that was one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through. Our relationship was still new. It would have been easy for him to walk away. Things were uncertain. I was hurt. I was emotional. But he stayed. He held my hand. He let me cry. He didn’t leave when life got heavy.
At the end of May, we got our dog, Mellow. He became our comfort and joy — especially for me, because I get bad anxiety, and he knew how much I love animals. Just having him to cuddle when things were hard made everything feel a little more okay.
When we both moved to Hutchinson to attend Hutchinson Community College, things weren’t easy either. We were both missing home and feeling homesick, and it put a real strain on our relationship. Both of us already had trust issues from past relationships — we’d been cheated on before — and we had to learn that we had to rely on ourselves and each other to get through it. It was really hard, and at one point, we even considered breaking up. But instead of giving up, we worked through it, talked through it, and leaned on our faith.
That’s when I learned something important – real love shows itself in hard seasons, not just happy ones.
Step by step, we stopped just “dating” and started building a future together. On Jan. 13, Daniel proposed. The night before, we had a deep talk about our relationship, our faith, and making sure we were both truly happy. When he asked me to marry him, I couldn’t even speak at first. I forgot how to say yes.
Love isn’t about finding someone perfect. It’s about finding someone who stays, who grows with you, who talks through problems instead of running from them. Love is choosing each other again and again, especially when life tests you.
That’s what love looks like to me. Not easy. Not flawless. But real. And worth it.

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