Vempati, 31, and Abrams, 30, have been close friends since first appearing on season 2 of the Netflix reality series. The duo decided to give their romantic relationship shot in the final moments of the “Love is Blind” special, which was released on Friday.
“I put so much pressure on myself because I was like, ‘I don’t want this to fail,’” Abrams said in an interview with People’s Dory Jackson, “I was hesitant to jump in for that reason because she was my best friend. And if it doesn’t work out, you kind of lose the friendship. Because if you break up for whatever reason — and I wasn’t planning to breakup — but you always have to think about what happens after.”
Abrams told the outlet that the prospect of losing Vempati was holding him back, but their dynamic has remained the same.
“After that, it was like nothing really changed because I felt like we were dating already,” Abrams divulged.
During the second season of “Love is Blind,” Vempati said yes to a proposal from season villain Abhishek “Shake” Chatterjee. Abrams proposed to Shaina Hurley, but the two never made it to their wedding day.
During season two’s reunion special, Abrams revealed that his “biggest regret” was not pursuing Vempati. “I should’ve asked Deepti to marry me,” Abrams said in the “Love is Blind” season two reunion special in March.
Ahead of the season 2 reunion, Abrams shared a TikTok that featured Vempati briefly. The video left fans speculating that the two were more than just friends. Insider’s Lauren Edmonds reported that comments left on the video were mostly positive. Actress Caitlin Reilly commented, “I SHIP THIS FOREVER.”
In March, Vempati addressed the dating rumors and admitted that the couple was “trying to figure it out.”
After the reunion, the two continued to spark dating rumors. In April, the reality show duo attended Coachella together and were photographed holding hands, Insider’s Claudia Willen reported. Abrams and Vempati were also photographed together in Chicago and Los Angeles in April, according to TMZ.