Rebecca Villamizar spent years trying to introduce her two best friends, but they were never in the same city long enough to meet.

That is, until December 2020 when Salvador Jesús Salazar, her best friend from high school in Venezuela, traveled to Miami to see his brother.

While in the U.S., Mr. Salazar recalled thinking, “What am I going to do in Venezuela now?” given Venezuela’s political unrest; a serious injury he suffered in 2019 while volunteering as a paramedic for protesters; and the pandemic.

Mr. Salazar and Maria Daniella Aguado, Ms. Villamizar’s close friend from college, finally met in April 2021 at Ms. Villamizar’s home in Miami.

Ms. Aguado said her conversation with Mr. Salazar flowed as if they had known each other for a long time. They later exchanged Instagram handles. “I had no idea how important this night would become,” Ms. Aguado said.

The two continued to see each other at gatherings of mutual friends. “We slowly started flirting,” she said.

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