Photo by Courtesy Photo

Junior Nigel Mitcham gave junior Briana Moreno a promise ring.

Briana closed her eyes hesitantly at his request. Her long-term boyfriend, Nigel, had been acting very secretive lately, and she knew she was about to find out why. Suddenly, a small, silver ring was dropped into her hands — the long-awaited promise ring.

This was the moment that juniors Briana Moreno and Nigel Mitcham solidified the promise to be together forever.

“He was going wait until my senior year, but since he was moving, he wanted to give it to me to show that he’ll always be there,” Moreno said.

Mitcham had indeed moved away from his girlfriend in Mansfield to Houston in July 2015 after going out with Moreno for two years and three months.

“I felt really bad when I found out, but I completely understood,” Mitcham said. “I always figured we could make it work, especially because we get along so well.”

Regardless, the relationship has gone strong since, especially at the encouragement of everyone close to them.

“My mom is ecstatic,” Moreno said. “She loves him because he loves me, and she doesn’t want anything but for me to be happy.”

As of April 6, 2016, the two will have been dating for three years.

“To me, [the promise rings] mean staying faithful, and staying together as long as you both wanna stay together,” Mitcham said. “I definitely think we’ll [get married].”