The Kings

Angie and Joey Mead King had to learn about life's never-ending curveballs the hard way, but together, there was nothing they couldn't overcome

- Dorynna Untivero

Do you want to dance?” Ian asked Joey. “Yeah, you can dance—over there,” she answered, flatly turning him down. It was 2006, and not even the heady atmosphere of the Embassy club in BGC could spark romance between the pair. At that moment, neither could imagine they would spend the rest of their lives together, making incredible strides, the most significant of which would be Ian’s transition to Angie.

Despite the initial rebuff, Ian was persistent. “I asked her out on a date on February 15, which is the day we celebrate our anniversary,” Angie says. They shared a meal and two bottles of wine at People’s Palace. Joey was taking a break from dating and had little interest in getting involved with a younger man—Angie is five years Joey’s junior. But they hit it off and ended the night with a kiss—or rather two. “[The first one] was okay,” Angie says with a laugh. “So, she asked for another one.” The next day, Joey flew to Singapore, where she lived at the time, working as a model and host. The date had all the indications of a one-off. “[But] I woke up the morning after and thought, ‘I can’t lose this connection,’ so I booked a ticket and flew to see her that very weekend,” Angie adds.

The two would have what can only be described as a whirlwind romance: a few weeks after their first encounter, they took a vacation together. Angie says, “After eight days in Boracay, she didn’t fly home, and I asked her to move in with me—that fast.”

TRANSITIONS