'Big Brother' 's Taylor Hale and Joseph Abdin Are Officially in a Relationship: 'Happiest I've Ever Been'

After weeks of building up their relationship outside of the Big Brother house, Jaylor is finally official!

PEOPLE can exclusively reveal season 24 winner Taylor Hale and fellow houseguest Joseph Abdin are a couple.

The pair became fan favorites this summer as Hale, 27, navigated house relationships and rivalries to win the $750,000 grand prize, plus an additional $50,000 prize for being voted America's Favorite Houseguest.

"My connection with Joseph has been undeniable, and I knew from the moment he kissed me on finale night that we'd find a way to be together," Hale tells PEOPLE. "His heart is bigger than the galaxy, and now we have the privilege of sharing our hearts with each other. I love him so much - I'm the happiest I've ever been."

Adds Abdin: "From the moment I saw Taylor, I knew she was something special. Our spark started within the show and we decided to wait until after the game. Since then, we have only gotten closer and confirmed what we already knew. It has been a rollercoaster of an experience, but I wouldn't want to share it with anyone else. She is a remarkable woman that I am so grateful to call mine. She may have won Big Brother, but I won so much more."

Hale, a personal stylist and former Miss Michigan USA, and Abdin, a 25-year-old lawyer, first met in the Big Brother house shortly before the season's first episode aired on July 6.

The season was initially met with backlash from viewers over other houseguests' treatment of Hale, who was mocked and called expletives by her fellow castmates. Abdin would often commend her on her patience and strength during the beginning weeks of the summer, which sparked a friendship between the two.

Their friendship slowly got flirtier as the summer progressed, including a moment when they were chained together during a competition punishment. In the weeks before Abdin finished in ninth place — an eviction many considered premature — the pair formed a close bond. (So close that some houseguests dishonestly told Hale that Abdin had turned on her to secure his own safety.)

Hale spoke to PEOPLE after her historic victory in September — when she became the first Black woman to win the main Big Brother series — and shared that she likely wouldn't have had a "temporary showmance" with runner-up Monte Taylor had she understood the full picture.

"Joseph really was my rock, my sanity. He didn't need to be in the beginning," Hale told PEOPLE at the time. "So knowing that my initial assumption about Joseph not turning on me was true, had I known circumstances were different, I probably would not have ended up in a second temporary showmance."

After leaving the Big Brother house $800,000 richer, Hale was welcomed by a massive fanbase of "Hale Raisers," many of whom supported her potential relationship with Abdin. She responded by Liking a few "Jaylor" tweets, but admitted that she planned to take things slow.

"I truly have such a soft spot for the guy and I'm hopeful that whether we're friends or something more, we're going to be deeply, deeply connected forever now," Hale said in September.

Since stepping away from Big Brother cameras, Hale and Abdin (or "he "face and the heart" of season 24, as fans have called them) have been traveling together to fan events, filming unboxing videos as a pair and even dressing up in matching Halloween costumes in a nod to their costume punishment from the show.

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Just this week, Hale shared on Instagram Live that she and Abdin didn't want to have a label yet as they focused on cementing their longevity.

"We are planning on locking it in eventually," Hale said on Monday. "But there's stuff that needs to happen, there are conversations that need to happen. There's real stuff that needs to go on. This is stuff [that will] impact out lives as individuals. And if we're gonna work together in a life, we need to make sure things are set up long term."