Lirije & Besarti

From Mitrovica to Bressanone in Italy and back again, the story of Lirije Demaku and Besart Hasani proves that true love can find its way, even through an app. What began with a match on dua.com on 3 January 2024 led to an unforgettable proposal in Bolzano and a life they are now building together.

Lirije, 26, She was born in Shipol, Mitrovica during the war, but fate had taken the family to Bresanone, Italy, where she works as an assistant at a dental clinic. With young parents who had embraced modern culture without forgetting the tradition, Lirije was raised with a rare freedom to choose the path of life itself. But she always knew – she wanted an Albanian, someone who would understand not only the language, but also Bajram, the sacrifice, and the close family bond that characterizes our culture.

Besart, 27 years old from the same city of Mitrovica, had completed his studies as a nurse and ran the family business in his hometown. In recent years, he spent summers in German-speaking countries working and learning German. As an avid gamer, he still spent considerable time playing Counter Strike, but now had a clearer plan for the future – his summer experiences in German-speaking countries had convinced him there was a new life opportunity waiting for him.

He was the son of an aunt from Germany who had spoken to Lirije about dua.com. "Download and try to find the destiny of life." she had told Lirije. With her sister’s help, Lirije had created the profile more for fun at first. After a failed match with an Albanian in Italy, she had almost forgotten the app.

Meanwhile, Besart had seen the app in an Instagram story and had decided to download it. As a gamer who did not go out much, especially in the summer when the diaspora filled Kosovo, he knew that if he wanted to meet people nowadays, dua.com was the solution.

When he saw Lirije's profile with those few photos, something prompted him to try his luck. At the beginning of January he sent an Instachat – there was only one and decided tosend it to her.

Lirije waited 3 full days before replying to her on January 3, the day when the match took place.I don't know why. she said, laughing,"I wanted to make sure he was serious."

Besart says that from the first moment he liked Lirije, but the wait made him even more curious."When we spoke on the phone for the first time, I immediately knew that Besart was the right person for me. There was something in his voice that made me feel safe. " Lirije recalls.

After 5 months of writing and video calls, Lirije made a bold decision that would change everything. First, he had to take leave from work in Italy – something that was not easy. On May 1, 2024, without saying anything to Besart, she boarded a plane to Kosovo.

"I was a little bit sick and very stressed." she recalls."Somehow I had to go. When he asked me why I was not writing to him, I told him that I was tired and I was resting." Meanwhile, she had just arrived with her mother in Mitrovica.

Besart, not knowing anything, had decided to go to the Internet cafe to play Counter Strike."I knew she was sick, and since we weren't going to talk much, I decided to go play CS:GO." he shows it. Lily had other plans.

When he wrote that he was at the door of the Internet cafe where he was playing, Besart thought he was joking."Are you okay with him?" She had told Gatsby that she loved him."Send me a picture because I don't believe you." Even after sending him the picture, he continued the game, thinking it was impossible.

"I'm going to continue the match," he remembers the old man laughing."He said to me, 'Behold!'"I said, 'You're going to get something wrong.'" When he finally decided to get out of the second floor and saw her downstairs, he stopped in shock.

"Don'tyou believe me when I come," Lirije says."It was the first time we met live, and I was very happy when he saw me.. Youcan't believe the surprise that I made, that I came extra from Italy to meet them."

For him, that moment was decisive."I forgot the watch, the wallet, everything. But it was worth it, because when I saw it, I knew right away...Was it love at first sight? Although during video calls I had always seen it, but this chemistry on the first date is notto be underestimated."

After the big surprise in Mitrovica, it was Besart's turn to take the next step. Just a month after their first meeting, in June 2024, he decided to visit Lirije and her family in Italy for a full week.

On the way to the airport to pick up Besart, Lirije asked her father if it was okay for him to come to the apartment. His response made him laugh even today."He said, 'Do you remember me?'" As if it were the most normal thing in the world. This was just the beginning of a full family reunion.

One of the most beautiful aspects of their history is precisely this unconditional support. The parents of Lirije, only 47 and 50 years old, had immediately realized the value of dua.com. "From the first moment I told my parents," explains Lirije."Permission that they allowed, but also liked that dua.com is giving the opportunity to get acquainted with Albanians even though I live abroad."

For them, the app was the perfect solution for a big worry."Especially at a time when the second generations begin to integrate very much into society and always create less and less ties with Albanians outside Italy." Lirije continues."Up to that point they have supported me that together they have reviewed profiles with me," he said. he tells her that she is laughing.

Besart had already decided to propose and had carefully planned everything together with the family. She had gone out to buy the engagement ring with Lirije's mother and her sisters, who helped her choose through video calls."You like a ring, you like a ring, you like a ring." he remembers.

When he came to Italy for the holidays, Besarti had originally intended to propose on January 2 – exactly a year after their first match on dua.com. At the last minute, he decided to change his plan."I thought you understood what I was saying," he says."So I decided to change it completely."

On New Year's Eve 2025, on a bridge in Bolzano, he told Lirije to dress up nicely for a walk."I didn't understand why I had to dress well just to go out." she remembers being confused."But he had his agent at the helm."

Lirije's sister, the only one who knew everything, secretly filmed the whole magical moment. When Besarti fell to his knees and asked in Italian, Lirije couldn't believe it.

"What about Whoa?" she looked into his eyes as if it were a dream. With all the excitement he had, he said.Yes– one that marked the beginning of a new life together.

The irony of fate is amazing – Lirije was born right in Shipol during the time of the war, in the place where Besart now lives, only to find the fate of life there again with him."It's like everything came in a circle." I can explain.

On July 7, 2025, the couple tied the knot in the municipality. Now they have found their apartment in Bresanone, just 10 minutes away from the parents of Lirije. As Besarti completes the paperwork to go to Italy, he prepares to work as a nurse, integrating into the Italian system along with Lirije who works in the dental clinic.

"I never thought I could be romantic." confesses to it."But Lirije has inspired me to love, to be creative, to create moments that we never forget. It's great to be able to make the person feel good."

Lily added:"Now I feel complete. I have Besart, my family close by, and I deserve this good life that we are building together." Both have become ardent ambassadors of I Love You.com in their circle."Even though we are both from Mitrovica, we had never heard of each other. Just dua.com to bring us together."

Their story is proof that love finds its way even when distance, culture, and circumstances seem like obstacles.

"For guys who are single, take the app and give it a try. You don't know where the fate of life might be – in Italy, Germany, Sweden, or even in Kosovo. " order to the Bishops.

"And do not be discouraged," Lirije adds with a smile."I couldn't wait for 3 days to get back to him, but here we are right now – planning our wedding and our new life.dua.com gave us the opportunity we never would have had – to find each other."