He Stopped His Virtual Meeting to Introduce Himself to His ‘Rude’ New Neighbor. Now They’re a Couple

A quick walk downstairs for coffee turned into the moment Raquel Alysia’s entire life quietly shifted, even though she didn’t realize it right away.

“Life is crazy because I moved into my apartment eight months ago… fell in love with my neighbor at the coffee machine and now I spend my time with the guy next door,” reads the on-screen text in one of Alysia’s TikTok videos that had viewers swooning.

The clip feels like pure, effortless romance — but the story behind it goes even deeper.

By the time she officially met the man who lived just steps away, Steven Major, he’d already started to fall for her from afar. He later admitted he had noticed her months earlier and thought she was “the most beautiful rude girl,” a description that still makes her laugh since she swears she hadn’t even seen him.

Back then, she was busy settling into her new building and had no idea a meet-cute was brewing near the espresso machine.

When they crossed paths again in July, she was dressed for comfort and definitely wasn’t expecting the guy in the middle of a virtual meeting to pause his presentation just to ask about her weekend.

“He’s in the middle of presenting, and he just stops to talk to me,” she recalls. The sudden swing from work mode to small talk threw her off, but she was instantly more intrigued when he mentioned that he’s also a Christian.

“I’m a big believer in Jesus Christ, and I truly believe when he wants something, he’s going to expedite it,” Alysia says.

Not wanting to interrupt his meeting any further, she handed him her phone so he could type in his number, promising to send him information about her church later. About 45 minutes after she walked away, she texted him exactly what she said she would — not realizing that message would kick off a chain of conversations that would change both of their lives.

Two hours later, Major followed her on Instagram. The notification sent her straight to her friend, confessing that she was pretty sure he’d been flirting.

From there, their connection deepened quickly. “We graduated from Instagram to full-blown texting,” Alysia says, explaining that how easily they talked showed them just how naturally they clicked.

Even when Major got sick and spent a week recovering, they kept up daily conversations. As soon as he started feeling better and she casually mentioned she was hungry, he offered to pick her up and asked what she wanted to eat.

Their first date was simple and low-key. Major walked over to her door and took her to True Food for a relaxed meal that quietly marked the start of their relationship.

From that night on, they’ve hardly gone a day without seeing each other. “From then on, we literally have hung out every single day since we first hung out,” Alysia says, acknowledging that it might seem fast, but living in the same building makes everything feel easy and natural.

She was honest about her intentions from the beginning because she didn’t want any confusion. “I laid everything out to him from the beginning — I was like, ‘Look, I’m dating to marry,’ ” she explains, adding that she needed someone who shared that same goal.

To her relief, he did. “He was like, ‘Okay, no problem. Me too,’ ” she remembers. Now, nearly four months into the relationship, she says their bond feels much older than the calendar suggests.

“It feels like we’ve been together for 400 years,” Alysia jokes. She credits their shared faith and their openness with each other for how seamlessly their lives have intertwined.

Being neighbors gives their relationship a built-in closeness many couples take longer to build. He pops over to her apartment, she visits his, and the little moments — hallway kisses, elevator rides, shared chats between floors — have become some of her favorite parts of their daily routine.

Still, they’re intentional about keeping their independence. “We live in the same building, but we don’t live together,” Alysia says, adding that they love having their own spaces while still enjoying “morning kisses and praying together.”

There are sweet perks to dating the guy next door that she never anticipated. “Steven leaves me fresh flowers and surprises at my door every week,” she shares.

Their outgoing personalities mean plenty of people in the building know them individually and now recognize them as a couple. As they navigate the normal ups and downs of a growing relationship, Alysia says they both stay rooted in their faith.

“We really, truly are so grounded in our faith,” she explains. Attending church and worshipping together helps them stay united when disagreements pop up. Arguments still happen, but she sees them as part of building something real and lasting.

Online, their love story has taken on a life of its own. “I have people tell me all the time, ‘Oh my gosh, this is like a Hallmark movie,’ ” Alysia says — and she’s happily embraced the “cheesy Hallmark movie” vibe surrounding their romance.

She’s been creating content for five years and working as a full-time influencer since 2021, but this is the first time she’s shared her romantic life with her followers. Her boyfriend, who tends to be more private, trusts her to find the balance between inspiring others and protecting the core of what they share.

For Alysia, the story is a reminder that life’s biggest shifts often arrive in the most ordinary moments. “Just do life and let things come to you,” she says — proof that sometimes, love really does live just down the hall.