Jacqueline and Bryan
How and when did you guys become a couple?
Jacqueline: We met at school. The first time I saw him was at this little BBQ picnic thing they were hosting. I’d already been at the school for several months, butnone of the guys really appealed to me. And then I saw Bryan and I saw his tattoo across his chest while I was standing in line waiting for food. I didn’t even ask, I literally just said, “Hey! You have a tat!!! What does it say?” and just yanked down his shirt. It’s his family’s name (Octaviano), but I didn’t see the rest of it and thought it was either his girlfriend/wife/whatever, or his daughter, because I thought it said “Octavia” lol.
Bryan: Awkward…
Jacqueline: Shut up. Anyway, after that, we didn’t see each other again for a long time since we went to school for two different things—and mainly because SOMEONE forgot what I looked like.
Bryan: Dude. Come on! You had a weave when I first met you.
Jacqueline: SHUT UP! Anyway, a few months later I’d won a contest. Basically, they chose my script for the Christmas play and it was going to be held at our honors dorms where he was living so we were practicing there a lot, and he just happen to offer me and one of my friends a piece of Ube cake and he recognized me and I was so embarrassed…But at first, I didn’t take him seriously, because he just seemed to be a flirty player type.
Bryan: Really??? I really thought you wouldn’t like me.
Jacqueline: Why?
Bryan: You know, because Asian/Black, didn’t think it would work, and whatnot…And I thought you probably had a boyfriend or something.
Jacqueline: If I had, I wouldn’t have been flirting with you all through winter break. Anyway, I went home (to Chicago) for winter break and we texted and talked on the phone a lot, but I really didn’t take him seriously—kinda jaded from my last relationship and whatnot. But after we got back, we met up and I kissed him, and it went from there. Over time, I got too shy to tell him certain things so we started keeping a notebook to write down personal thoughts and communicated like that for fun. Several months later, he asked me to be his girlfriend in the same way, and wrote, “Will you be my forever Valentine” in a brand new, sleek notebook, in February.
Where do you live? Do you get stares?
Jacqueline: We live in Los Angeles, but mainly the valley. I’m from Chicago.
Bryan: Chi-town!
Jacqueline: It’s not “CHAI-TOWN”. It’s said like “SHY-TOWN”. It’s not “CHU-CAGO either”! It’s “SHI-CAGO!!!”
Bryan: So it’s said like “SHI?” Uh…*smirk* isn’t it spelled like…”C-H-I…”
Jacqueline: OH MY GOD, SHUT UP AND ANSWER THE QUESTION!!!!!!
Bryan: Yeah, we do get stares. We always see the reverse couple; Asian chick, black guy, so really, people are kind of like, “WHOA” when they see us.
Jacqueline: It’s funny though, because most people get that perception of us that the sex MUST be good. Like,”Oh, she’s a tiger in bed because I’m black,” and “Wait, he’s Asian…how can he satisfy her?” type of bullshit. Any comment Bry?
Bryan: *Huge smirk* It is what is….
Jacqueline: ANYWAY!!!!!!
Is this pairing common where you live?
Bryan: Nope.
Where was your first date?
Bryan: Uh….
Jacqueline: Uh……..
Bryan: Where was our first date??? Do you just want to count that burger place the first time?
Jacqueline: Was that when I first kissed you?
Bryan: Yeah.
Jacqueline: Awwww…how cute! You remember our first kiss (*smirk*)
Bryan: SHUT. UP.
Jacqueline: Anyway, we had two first dates, but the first one went kinda bad. We had both ditched school to meet up and go ice skating (Ice skating in L.A, get out of here! No, really!), but the rink was closed so we wandered around.
Bryan: Yeah, later we went to a burger place and she kissed me as my “Christmas present”.
What do your parents (both sets) think about your relationship?
Bryan: Hmm. Just shocked at first because she’s black and I’ve never dated a black girl, but then they were like, “Oh, she’s nice” and they really started liking her and whatnot.
Jacqueline: My folks haven’t even met him yet since we both live in California, but they know about him. My dad’s sort of “pro-black” and has always warned me when it comes to dating interracially (“Oh, you know they only want to f*** you so they can run back to their friends and say they had some chocolate, etc”, but my dad is also, “pro-anyone-who-treats his daughter’s well”, but for now, he’s okay with it. He even asks about Bry when he calls me, haha.
What’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever done for each other?
Bryan: I’ve done a lot of romantic things. I’ve made her breakfast, scrubbed her back in the tub…Oh, I asked her out on Valentine’s Day and gave her that new notebook and a pair of expensive pens like writers use because she’s a writer. But I know the most romantic thing she ever did for me was make me this HUGE lunch for work. All I asked for was a sandwich and she cooked up a great lunch. And she blushed when she gave it to me.
Whats your favorite thing about each other?
Bryan: She treats me like a king and I can joke around with her.
Jacqueline: He reminds me of a puppy. (Bryan: WHAT?!?!) I used to have a pitbull puppy named Pacino, like Al Pacino (and it was ironic because Bryan’s nickname at school is “Chino”, which is what my nickname was for Pacino), and he was a total sweetheart. He would always cheer me up, but he would need SOOOOOO much attention and he’d hassle you until you gave it to him, hahahaha. But Bry is sort of like that. He reminds me of a puppy, acting all tough like he’s a badass, and then being a total softy and cuddlewhore…
Bryan: HEY!!!!!!
Jacqueline: I love that about you, though. You always do your best to cheer me up.
Have you ever received any offensive comments about you two as an interracial couple? What was your reaction?
Jacqueline: They have all been mostly rude side comments that we overhear. “Oh, what, you don’t like black men?” or once, this Asian girl actually said, “He’s too hot to be with her…” Just stupid things. Some people look at us as “traitors” to our race and it’s so dumb. So, I just play it off, like, whatever. I think the funniest one I got was this one black guy flat out said, “He can’t f*** you well.” I looked at him and told him point blank, “He’s *bleeping* me quite well, thank you very much.”
Bryan: *Smirk*
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Do you have any advice for those seeking an AMBW relationship?
Bryan: Just be yourself; don’t let negative stereotypes stop you from approaching someone.
Jacqueline: Yeah. Well said.
