STRONGER TOGETHER
Life can throw a lot at you: chronic illness, a pandemic, separation, even death. But, as Sarah Liss learns, these 12 Toronto couples can tackle anything — as long as they’re together
Twelve couples whose relationships have stood the test of time,
BOBBY + BRANDON, TOGETHER THREE YEARS A creative director and a model bonded during a long walk home and have never looked back
Bobby Bowen and Brandon Tyler Wilson met at a ball, but theirs is less a Cinderella story than the tale of two princes charming one another into an unexpected happily ever after. Once upon a time, in 2018, Bowen, a creative director and the editor of Bully magazine, made his way to Mahjong, the romantically lit, tucked-away bar in Toronto’s Little Portugal neighbourhood, where his friend was DJing a vogue ball. Bowen had returned from Europe earlier that day, so when he spotted Wilson in the club, he was too dazed by jet lag to pay much attention: “I’d seen him out and about before, but funnily enough, I thought he was this straight model guy.” Luckily, a friend pointed out that Wilson had been eyeing Bowen all night.
“The first things I noticed about him were his eyes, his height and his beautiful smile,” Bowen says. “He had these rosy cheeks that I could see even in the dimly lit bar.” He mustered all the self-confidence he’d built up travelling solo through Europe and approached Wilson. The two traded numbers. “We walked home together while sharing a bag of gummy Starburst — that’s our thing now,” says Bowen. “That walk felt like forever, learning about one another with no judgment. It was really beautiful.” Adds Wilson, “We had chemistry from the get-go. It was all happiness and butterflies.”
For the first year and a half of their relationship, Wilson was travelling to and from China for modelling jobs. The distance was hard, he says, but it helped the two build a solid foundation and gave them both space to grow, separately and together. He also managed to fly Bowen out for a “magical” whirlwind trip through China, Hong Kong and Thailand. “I’ve always been a hopeful romantic, and I’ve had a couple of great relationships that brought me to where I am with no hurt along the way,” he says. “I always believed love would find me. And luckily for me, I found this one.”
Because of their work and life schedules, this year marks the first Valentine’s Day the couple will spend together in person. Thanks to COVID, they’ve already spent a lot of time hanging out face to face, so they’ve managed to find the silver lining in lockdown. “It’s been good for us, as we take care of each other, work out together, eat together and encourage one another to do better,” says Bowen. “It’s hard sometimes not to have alone time, and it can start to feel a bit repetitive. But I honestly couldn’t do this alone, so I’m thankful every day that we have each other in these weird times.”