Warning: Love Is Blind spoilers ahead.

One of the most tumultuous couples on Netflix’s reality show, Love Is Blind, was, hands down, Mark Anthony Cuevas and Jessica Batten. The two seemed to hit it off in the pods—where they first met, talking for hours but never seeing each other—but when they came face to face, things started to unravel. The newly-engaged couple was whisked away on a romantic vacation, then moved in together and met each other’s families. Quickly, their problems arose. Even though she claimed not to have a problem with it in the pods, Jessica was clearly turned off by her and Mark’s 10-year age difference (he was 24, she 34). She also, for whatever reason, constantly had a wandering eye for Matt Barnett (a.k.a Barnett), even though he was also in his twenties and nowhere near as mature as Mark.

It was an interesting relationship: Mark seemed to be all the things Jessica wanted on paper, but she still had second thoughts. Ultimately, the two ended up not getting married. Jessica couldn’t go through with it, leaving Mark visibly heartbroken.

So what is Jess and Mark’s current status? Love Is Blind was filmed in 2018, and the two have kept their distance since then. They’ll come together for Netflix’s reunion special, which premieres on March 5. Below, Mark tells us all about his relationship with Jessica, what went wrong, and where things stand today.

Glamour: Has this just been the craziest time for you?

Mark Anthony Cuevas: For sure, for sure. It’s definitely an adjustment, I would say, because it’s… Don’t get me wrong: I was myself through the whole experience, but now it’s just kind of like everyone’s seen it. So it’s really cool to see the reaction of everyone either running up to me and taking a picture to social media and I’m just kind of like… It’s been a lot. So I’m still adjusting a little bit.

What do you remember first responding to with Jessica when you were talking to her in the pods?

Mark: So what’s kind of funny is that my first two dates were a little awkward and uncomfortable. And it was funny. I was thinking, “If the rest of my dates are going to be like this, this is not going to be pretty good.” And not that they were bad girls. It was just… There was no connection. And then she was my third date, and the second I heard her voice, the second we started talking about Chicago—Where are you from?” “Chicago”—we lit up. And that was the initial connection, but throughout the pods, we connected over so many different things, like family values, religion, and everything. So there was a lot more to that whole story and everything that helped us connect, not just being from Chicago.

Obviously, there was that drama where she had feelings for Barnett and broke things off with you to try things out with him, but then ultimately ended up asking you to forgive her and try it again. What made you decide to give it another shot with her, even though she did do that?

Mark: My mantra has always been…What my mom always taught me is: If you love something, you let it go, and if it comes back, it was for you. If it doesn’t, then it was never for you. And again, with the whole experience, I think it goes deeper than that whole saying, but I kept it. So when she did essentially come back and we talked it out, I told her. I was upfront, and I was like, “Hey, I can go home today and I’ve learned everything I needed to learn, but if you’re with me, you’re with me.” And I think that her coming back to me initially showed me that she wanted to be with me.

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