what if when he came to the US with his family when he was 16 and he had a hard time making friends she took an interest in him and they even dated for a little while but when she decided to go to NY he stayed in florida and as she became more involved in that wrong group it ruined their long distance relationship very quickly and they stopped talking and she came home and they reconnected and have been super close since? i just realized i didn’t read your other connections sonif you have something already similar or in that time frame that interpheres that’s totally ok!