They met at a gallery opening in the Marais — Thomas studying the negative space around a sculpture, Élise photographing the shadows on the wall beside it. They disagreed about the work entirely and spent the rest of the evening arguing about it over two glasses of natural wine.

She left before he could ask her name. He found her through the gallery, sent a note with a photo he'd taken of the same shadow — from a different angle. She wrote back in three minutes.

Two years later, he proposed at the gallery, same evening, same wine. She said yes before he finished the question.