Photographer Captures Cute Pictures of Couple Walking Down the Street, Then Discovers They’re Actually Siblings (Exclusive)

Isabella Epstein and her brother Gabriel were going out to dinner in New York City when a photographer spotted them from behind a lamp post and decided to snap a few pictures of them together.

While the siblings, who were all dressed up for the meal, didn’t see the photographer, he eventually made his way over to them. After approaching them, he explained that he’d seen them together and captured some pictures that he wanted to give them.

“He was like, ‘You guys are so beautiful, you look so happy and in love,’ ” Isabella recalls to PEOPLE of their conversation, adding how one photo in particular caught the pair mid-hug. “And I was like, ‘What the heck? This is my brother.’ “

“It was so New York, and my brother who is in college and was visiting me was like, what is going on? And I was like, ‘Welcome to the city,’ ” the New York City local, 26, adds.

Despite the mixup, Isabella and her brother, 23, got the photos from the photographer, along with a few solo shots he’d offered to take after, and gave them to their mom.

“In retrospect, it was actually a really special, unique experience,” Isabella says, adding how her brother is her best friend. “My brother was actually kind of unsettled. He was like, ‘Why does everyone think we’re a couple?’ We’re not, but we are just very close. We also look identical, so it’s a little bit confusing that people mistake us sometimes.”

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After the encounter, Isabella posted about it on TikTok, where she made a subtle reference to her “non-existent” dating life. Since posting, the video has now gone viral, garnering almost 70,000 views.

Reading through the comments, Isabella says it’s nice to see people uplifting her and relating to her dating life, or lack thereof. Though she hoped someone would see the video and ask her on a date, that has yet to happen.

“Since posting the video I’ve realized there’s more than just romantic love,” she says. “I’m realizing how blessed, even though I already knew this, I am to have my brother as my best friend. A lot of people were super encouraging about, ‘Just remember the love that you do have.’ So that was nice.”

“I also realized not to feel so alone in the loneliness that we’re feeling,” she adds. “I think collectively, and it was kind of a comical experience seeing how many people were like, ‘I’m single too,’ so I hope people took from it that they’re not alone and just to make light of life.”