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New York Times

She Married Her Biggest Book Fan

Daniel Leonard De Lange was a server, and Kyle Lucia Wu was working coat check at L'Artusi, an Italian restaurant in Manhattan's West Village, when they met in November 2013. 'I immediately had a crush on her,' Mr. De Lange said. 'She was very calm and composed. There was something so intriguing about her.' The co-workers only spoke briefly, though, and Ms. Wu's role was seasonal. When she returned in 2016 for another winter, Mr. De Lange remembered her and was thrilled to see her again; he was even happier when she showed a flicker of interest in seeing him outside of work, when she mentioned wanting to invite him to a Christmas party that she was hosting with her roommates. Mr. De Lange promptly asked if she wanted to get a drink that night at Buvette, a nearby restaurant that at the time served food until 2 a.m. 'I never thought I had a chance. I really thought she was just out of my league,' he said. That night, the pair shared their first kiss. It was the first of many 'innocently romantic' meetings at Buvette, where — after loitering blocks away to keep their romance a secret from co-workers — they would talk over steak tartare and glasses of red wine. The restaurant gigs were temporary for Ms. Wu, 36. When she first started dating Mr. De Lange, she had just finished the first draft of her novel 'Win Me Something.' It was published in 2021 to glowing reviews and was named a best book of the year by NPR. Ms. Wu is also an author of 'An Asian American A to Z: A Children's Guide to Our History,' as well as a visiting assistant professor at the Pratt Institute and a lecturer at the New School. After growing up in Glen Rock, N.J., she received a bachelor's degree in psychology from N.Y.U. and a master's of fine arts in creative writing from the New School. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.