"For Emily and I, board games have become the heart of Valentine’s Day. They mark the moment we put our phones away and choose each other fully. We cook side by side, let music fill the room and sit down to a game that slows time just enough for us to really listen.
 

The game becomes a shared rhythm for the evening. Something we focus on together, laugh over, think through and return to again and again. It creates space for conversation to flow naturally, for small moments to feel meaningful and for connection to grow without forcing it.
 

These nights stay with me. Long after the candles burn out and the board is packed away, the feeling lingers. They’re memories built from presence, attention, and time well spent together and they’re some of the ones I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life."