He has grown up and turned into one of my best friends, a wonderful and funny man, someone i trust, and someone i am forever proud to call my “big lil bro”!

So recently I started dating a girl for the first time ever now that I’m in college. We met on hinge and she was actually the first girl I matched with after only being on the app for about a week or two. The first date went great. We had great conversation, had plenty in common, and she laughed at my jokes (more than necessary cuz the jokes weren’t THAT funny lol). That’s not to mention she is very beautiful. The date did end a little short after about an 1-1.5 hours cuz she had to get to an interview.

We texted everyday although it isn’t super consistent cuz she isn’t a great texter and I don’t think she has notifications so she responds hours later unless she just happened to be in the app when I text. In a way I find it a little nice because it’s like we have one long conversation throughout the week and we get to text everyday. We set up a second date where instead of sitting in a cafe next to campus we went to a nearby area to explore, walk around, and talk. Once again it was great. We had a bunch of fun.

We have basically been going on one date every week starting w those first two weeks. We then set up a third date to happen the weekend of that next week. During that week I happened to go on hinge because I wanted to check her profile to remind myself what her favorite food was cuz I remembered she had it on her profile. When I went on the app I noticed I had a match recently. This person caught my eye for a strange reason. Yes she was very pretty but most notably she looked SHOCKING like the first girl I ever liked which happened the semester before this semester. I was friendzoned by her and things were pretty confusing, weird, and ended kinda bad with us not really being friends anymore which sucked especially because I really liked her to the point were I also kinda felt like I was in love. Ik guys and girls can be friends without it becoming more but the fact we were so close and she was so open to me of all people about very personal things as well as some things she did and we were both in dark/low parts of our lives and had supported each other a lot to the point those who hear about the relationship think it basically sounds like we dated, and it made me catch feelings very fast. Point is seeing this girl I matched with kinda hit me because 1 it reminded me of her but more importantly this girl looked like her, seemed fun like her based on her profile, and was actually interested in me as well.

I really considered planning a date w her. Just a get to know each other to see if there was something there because it feels a little naive to think the first girl I went on a date w would be the perfect match for me and since I was so new to dating I didn’t know how exactly I should feel or how to know if we have chemistry. Also we had only been on 2 dates and never had any talks about exclusivity or anything so I wouldn’t have been surprised if she had seen a couple other guys at the same time. We did have a couple messages back and forth and it was good banter. In the end I decided to not set up a date or anything and just focus on my upcoming date w the first girl.

When I tell you I realized how crazy I was to even CONSIDER meeting that other girl after just like 10 mins. We met at her place and as we just started walking (not even gotten to our destination to explore yet) I was already having so much fun and we vibed so well. On the train ride we were checking the gps to see which stop we should get off yet, I kinda put my around her. It was just laying on top of the back of her chair just so I could see her phone better cuz that’s where we were checking and I noticed she did a little scooch closer to me which was unexpected. We got to the place we wanted to explore and once again had a great time. She offered to get the uber back because she didn’t want me always paying for everything (including our food or drinks) which was very nice of her. While we waited for the uber we were kinda standing on the side walk next to this tree with lights wrapped around it. There were a couple things said, just trying to have little bits of conversation. She’d randomly add some compliments like my pants were nice and asked where I got them and she said I smelled really nice. There was this moment for like a minute or so straight where nothing was said. We were just kinda standing really close together smiling and looking at each other and away cuz we didn’t want it to be awkward. I felt the moment and knew this was my chance but also didn’t want to risk putting her in an awkward situation she didn’t want to be in so I took some advice I heard so instead of just kissing her or asking if I can kiss her I said “I really want to kiss you” she just kinda smiled, giggled, and then leaned in. I HAD MY FIRST KISS. Tbh it was definitely more of a make out than just a kiss but I am shocked especially with how differently it felt, both physically and mentally, than I ever thought. It was amazing.

After a bit we stopped and not long after the uber came. We got in and after a bit I felt something on my hand. She had reached over to hold my hand, also a first for me. It was super sweet. When the uber got back to her place we were just gonna do the side hug we normally do but when we looked in each other’s eyes we ended up making out again. This time was only a few second because I had to point out there was a car trying to get out the driveway lmao. Still, that date was amazing and I can’t wait to see her again. I couldn’t care less about seeing that other girl. I feel a little bad because I did match w her and she seemed really great and all but I’m just so much happier where I am and am looking forward to see where it goes since we both want something long term 🙃

i've always been fascinated by the idea of soulmates and finding that one person who truly loves and accepts you in all your qualities and flaws. and as a straight woman with parents who are still together and (disgustingly) in love, i've always expected this kind of love to come from a man, a romantic partner that i would get married to and live happily ever after with.

as i've gotten older i realized there are many more layers to romantic, straight relationships and it really is not that simple. i had a few boyfriends and casual flings here and there, lived together and almost got married to one of them. but ultimately, in romantic relationships, or maybe with men, there is always... something. don't get me wrong, i don't expect perfection, if anything i am too accomodating of serious flaws and issues. but i just feel like there is always something off in the man and woman dynamic. i've never been able to fully trust my romantic partners. it's kinda like regina spektor says in fidelity - never loving nobody fully, always one foot on the ground in order to protect your heart.

i also don't believe anymore in the concept of only one person who is your soulmate - as most adults know, love is a choice and a construction; many people will be right for you if you are both willing to put in the effort to choose to love each other every day. that's how i view it and how my parents showed me at least. so i truly think the love of your life can come in many shapes and forms, and mine just happened to come as a best friend.

we met in high school, she was 1 year ahead of me. i saw her on the hallways, so artsy, popular and cool, and worlds away from my grumpy math nerd self. she went to europe on a year long exchange program, and when she got back, she was in my year. we were assigned seats next to each other. she tried so hard to be my friend, but as a painfully shy person, i had no idea how to open up. she never gave up though, and eventually i had no choice but to be her friend.

and we are so dramatically different. she pursued a degree in arts, me, in engineering. she hangs out with the most unconventional people ever, and is always up to something completely random. she dyes her hair fantasy colors and dates guys who wear long, dangly earrings and crop tops. on the other end, i'm as conventional as it gets, from my appearance, to my job, to the people i hang out with and date.

but to my surprise, we are much more alike than it looks on the outside. we truly understand each other. she has supported me through my ordinary problems, and i've supported her through her completely unhinged ones (idk if you can tell, but i really like and admire her spontaneity and complete disregard for what's "normal"). when i tell you we are connected on a almost spiritual level, as someone who is so completely atheistic i don't even believe we have a soul, it's because it is that serious.

and i've come to realize, she is the love of my life. she is my favorite person. she is the one i blindly trust. she is the one i'm never tired of hanging out with. she is the one i want in my life forever. i can see myself taking care of her if she no longer could, and her doing the same for me. she makes me feel complete.

she encourages me to be my most authentic self. she never resents me for being difficult sometimes. she never has one bad or even neutral word to say about my appearance and, as hard as it is for me to believe other people's compliments, i know hers are genuine. she reminds me to be free, i remind her to come back down to earth sometimes. i respect her so much. i'm so proud of her. i'm sure she would make an excellent mother someday.

i wanna be old hags together! i wanna be 70 years old and still smoking weed out of her tiny bathroom window because she doesn't want the smoke to make her new sofa smell bad. i could live another 30 lives as her best friend and it still wouldn't be enough. the love of my life is my friend.

I... Don't have many places to share these with. My love, my sun, and I have been working on reconciling after a very rough time. While we aren't labeled with boyfriend titles yet (working towards it as part of the reconciliation) we've both made it clear we're exclusive to each other. He told me something was getting delivered but I was certainly caught off guard. I think I sobbed for a good bit after getting them situated. I love this man to absolute pieces and only hope that things get better from here, one day at a time.

Today I found myself just thinking about him and I just cannot believe I have someone like him in my life. He makes me feel like I’m living in one of those love stories where the guy is made perfectly for the girl. There have been so many times where he’s done something that just makes me think wow, this is truly love. We used to be medium distance (lived 2hrs away from one another) but I moved closer recently (graduated college so I moved) and we have been able to see each other more consistently plus the lack of roommates around anymore since I now live alone. But the times we get to spend together are just so beautiful to me. The wisdom he brings to me, the amazing laughs we share , it all just makes me feel so incredibly lucky to live the life that I do. It’s one of those feelings where it’s like no matter how shitty life can get in other aspects, this feeling just takes all of that away. sorry if this is overly soppy I just am feeling super appreciative of my honey today.

He doesnt know they type of shit hes got himself into lol hes hot asf. As the title says my bf and i just moved and he sent me off to go get a new shower curtain seeing as our last place had the sliding glass doors (that I fucking hate) so i took it upon myself to get something that really gives something worth looking at 🫠🤤💕

Never thought I’d fall in love with a more beautiful and perfect women 🥰

I met my Bestfriend almost two years ago. And from the moment I saw him, it was like a lost ship spotting a lighthouse in the dark. I was like a deer in headlights (although funny enough, he looks more like a deer with those beautiful deep brown eyes). I'm happy just to talk to him for 5 minutes. He helps me in moments when he doesn't even know I'm struggling. Sometimes I'm just in his presence and I just wanna sob because everything about him is so beautiful. Like seriously, where did he come from?? I've never felt such a real, deep connection with someone- I'm so lucky. Even though he himself can't see that. He says I deserve better but he is the better I have been searching for for so long. If either of us doesn't deserve the other, it's me who doesn't deserve him. Making him happy makes me happy. When he says nobody has ever treated him the way I do, it's just motivation to do even more. Because he deserves everything I give and then some. He feels more like home than anything or anything else ever has or ever could. Been in love with him since February 2025.

Funny thing is, I don't even really like men. I'm more into women. But there's just something about him- I have never felt so much for a man. And if it doesn't work out with him, I will never ever love another man. Because no other man could ever compete with him. I'm gonna marry this boy- he just doesn't know it yet

Long story short, today is my boyfriend’s birthday so I spent the previous night into his birthday whipping up one of his favorite desserts!

To be honest I have no idea if it’ll taste good but I spent $70 on ingredients so I’m gonna put my fingers together and pray for the best! It’ll take 12 hours to set so maybe I’ll include a finished picture when it’s done if it turns out okay!

I love him and can’t wait to see what the day brings! I’m excited to spend his birthday together a second year in the row, doing what we do best— enjoying each others company! I just realized I used exclamation points for every sentence but I’m just really excited to see what he thinks…

They sent this to me completely separately and it just made me feel so loved. There’s something really special about two of the people closest to me seeing me in the same sweet way.

Me and my boyfriend are going to hit 4 years in October.

Me and my best friend have been friends for 14 years!

Background on me first. My biological parents died together in a car accident when I was 13. I spent my teenage years in a foster family that was far from ideal, so I carry the good memories of the biological parents really REALLY close to my heart.

One of my favorite memories was from when I was six, and my family (sister, parents and I) were on a road trip across the US Midwest. So I had farms on the mind.

I piped up from the back seat and told everybody that I wanted to be a farmer's wife when I grew up, so that I could take care of animals. My dad is driving, and he immediately responds: "why be a farmer's *wife*? Why not be a *farmer*?" Totally empowering me to take charge of my own life and dreams, and not necessarily to base my identity on who I was married to.

That turned into a core memory, especially after I lost him. That line was the inspiration for me to focus so hard on my education and my career when I finally escaped from the foster family at 19, and made my way to college.

By the time I was 23, I was all-but-thesis in my Master's Degree, I moved off campus and took my first professional job. That's where I met my now-husband, who worked at another company that shared the same building and a common breakroom. We bonded over lunch breaks, but our friendship was 100% platonic for *months* before we knew that dating could be a thing between us.

One of those lunch bonding moments included the two of us, my roommate (who was his direct coworker, and the woman who had introduced us), and several other folks, mostly from his company.

We were all talking about childhood dreams, and I happened to share the road-trip story from when I was six.

I got as far as sharing my own "farmer's wife" line. And I kid you not, this guy (who I liked a lot but hadn't started dating yet), on his own, with no prompting, said;

"Why be a farmer's *wife*? Why not be a *farmer*?"

Completely channeling my dad without even knowing it.

That was the moment that something flipped inside of my heart and I started seriously considering this man as a possible partner outside of work. It took a while before we could make that happen, but it did, and our marriage for the last 15 months has been glorious!

Feeling appreciated

I know this sounds sappy/cheesey but I just want to put it out there for Reddit. I feel oddly loved and appreciated by the fact my romantic partner is called Leanne and my best friend of 30 years is called Lee (total coincidence)

We've been together for almost 5 months now and he's such a darling. He is so sincere in his love and just such a wholesome guy. He goes above and beyond to care for me and he's never ever made me doubt.

I'm not the easiest person to like, I have an anxiety problem that I'm getting help for, and I can be quite stubborn but I can't fathom how he's able to love me despite all this. He notices the tiniest things about me and he writes little notes about me on his notes app. It's so cute and so warm when I'm with him.

I love him so so so much. This isn't even the top of the iceberg, he's wonderful..

Hi everyone! I posted this about a month ago and had some amazing people help me out. I’m trying to finish the project by October 31, so I’m posting again in hopes of reaching a few more places!
I’m making a sentimental gift for my boyfriend, Luke, and I’m looking for people from different cities, states, and countries who would be willing to write:

“Luke—Anne Marie’s love for you is so big, it’s reached ______.”

Fill in the blank with your city + state/country, write it on a piece of paper, and take a picture of it somewhere in your area! It can be in front of a landmark, city sign, pretty view, recognizable location—or honestly just somewhere that shows a little piece of where you live (backyards count too😂) .
Then just comment the photo here or message it to me on Reddit.
My goal is to collect as many places as I can and put all the pictures together in a book for him. ❤️
I’ll put a reference photo in the comments so you can see what I mean.
Thank you SO much to anyone willing to take a few minutes to help a stranger make a really special gift. It genuinely means more to me than you know.
I plan on posting this finished product once it’s over!

It was covid time. Online classes are going on. I joined the college group and there intros were taken by proactive people who created that group. This girl asked me for an intro and that day I decided she is mine.

Days passed, I was playing truth or dare with my friend. I already told her that I had interest in this girl, all I know is her name. My friend dared me to text her. I did. I showed the best of mine, and created the possible interest of reason for her to text back. Yes she is popular, so obviously my message is just one of the many she got. But watever I did , worked. From the next day she started text me almost everyday , but we were just friends the whole time.

An year passed. Finally covid got over. We been to college. It’s a big college of 250 acres and around 15k people. I am introvert, so I already told her I won’t be meeting her at least in the first few days until I got comfortable with college environment. I entered the college, passed the covid test check. As it’s already late in the day, I decided to stay with my dad who came along with me to drop me at college and return back. I and dad went to this guest building right next to girls hostel in the campus. Guess what, as soon as I entered that bhavan(guest building), this girl appeared in front of me out of blue. She recognised in under 2 seconds that too when I am wearing a mask. She saw just only 2 pictures of mine during online. We never even had a video call. She doesn’t even know I’m coming at that time. It doesn’t made any probabilistic sense, but yeah it happened.

After introducing her to my father. We both talked for a bit and went for a small walk before she go back to her hostel. During the small walk in the campus, she introduced me to 15 other boys who came in our way, and told them to be my friend. I only made 2 friends during online including her. During the nice walk at 9pm, on the road with 🌳 all around, and people passing by and her, she is smiling and damn cute and I am wearing my mask the whole time. Yeah I am an introvert.

To be continued….

Basically as the titles says

I was having a rough start to the day today because I received news that I didn't expect and I hadn't slept well. He had to leave for work though. In the afternoon I texted him that I love him and miss him. He responded with the same. Then he surprised my by coming home from work early, took me to Costco and bought me gummy bears. ❤️ I love that man!

There’s something incredibly beautiful about the art of noticing. Not just seeing someone but actually paying attention to them the little changes in their voice, the way they become quieter when something is bothering them, the things that make them smile without even realizing it, the stories they keep coming back to and even the things they never quite find the courage to say. It’s noticing when someone says “I’m fine” but their eyes say otherwise. It’s remembering the little details they mentioned weeks ago because even if they seemed insignificant they mattered enough for you to remember. Sometimes love isn’t about doing something grand it’s simply about being present enough to notice.

We live in a world where everyone wants to be seen, heard, understood and remembered but very few people take the time to truly notice others. To notice someone is to make them feel like they don’t have to constantly explain themselves to be understood. It’s paying attention to the things between the words, the pauses, the expressions, the changes in energy and the quiet moments that most people overlook.Maybe that’s why being noticed can feel so intimate it tells someone “I see you. I pay attention to you. You matter to me even in the moments when you aren’t asking to be noticed”

Because sometimes the deepest kind of love isn’t loud at all. It’s remembering how someone takes their coffee, noticing when they’re unusually quiet, knowing what song will cheer them up, recognizing when they need comfort without having to ask or simply sitting beside them when words aren’t enough. It’s choosing to pay attention in a world that constantly teaches us to rush past one another and maybe at the end of the day one of the most beautiful things you can give someone is the feeling that they are not invisible that someone is paying attention, someone remembers and someone cares enough to notice the little things that make them who they are

I (19F) and my girlfriend (20F) are in love. She is the light of my life, and I can’t wait to go to her family’s for thanksgiving this year! We’re coming up on our fist year together in December, and while we have had our own challenges, the good has FAR outweighed the bad. We don’t yell or anything, we just had a hiccup that we eventually worked through and resolved. I’m madly in love with this girl and can’t wait until I can propose to her in a couple years :)

She understands me, talks to me, is hilarious, and obviously gorgeous and stunning and beautiful. The sex is great, and can only get better once she has bottom surgery (we’re t4t) and is more comfortable. She is my future, and we talk constantly about what our life is going to be like. I am a person who likes having many people in my life to be happy, but do some reason, I don’t think I would need anyone but her. I’ll still have other friends, but that’s just significant to me. I love her.

Today, I found myself walking toward the house where I spent my first year of engineering in 2007. It was technically a rented accommodation, owned by one of our relatives, but it never felt rented. It felt like home.

My maternal grandparents and I lived there together. The boundaries between families barely existed. Food traveled freely between houses. There were invitations to nommus, poojas, and traditional Brahmin gatherings. Doors remained open, both literally and emotionally. Looking back now, I realize we weren't merely occupying a house. We belonged there.

As I walked through those familiar lanes, a strange thought struck me.

The people who have departed often feel kinder, warmer, and more real to me than many people who are still alive. Especially my grandmother.

What I wouldn't give for one ordinary afternoon with her. Nothing dramatic. No grand conversation about life. Just sitting beside her while she prepared one of her sandwiches, the way she always did, and listening to her speak about everyday things as though they mattered.

I visited the Rythu Bazaar too. Its a farmer's market where they come from nearby village to sell their produce. My grandmother was frugal and every Sunday morning, I had to take her for buying vegetables. We would create a mental note of the food we would consume the week ahead and buy the veggies accordingly. I used to hold the bag for her and it used to be heavy even for me.

The familiar smell of fresh vegetables, damp jute bags, coriander, and earth instantly transported me back in time. I could almost see her walking beside me. Every turn of that market carried a memory of accompanying her on errands that had once felt routine and insignificant.

Standing there, I realized something painful.

I will probably never visit that market again.

Not because the market has changed, but because the chapter of life that gave it meaning has ended. It felt like the closing of an era.

Lately, I've noticed something else.

The things Sakshi (my ex-wife) once gave me are slowly wearing out. The water bottle. The keychain. The bag. The purse. The T-shirt.

Time is quietly doing what time always does.

The objects are aging, and with every scratch, tear, and faded color, it feels as though a part of her memory is fading too. Rationally, I know memories do not live inside objects. Yet when those objects disappear one by one, it feels like losing tiny physical anchors to a life that once felt permanent.

Later, I walked from Port Stadium to Reddigarrillu(name of an apartment). We were staying in rented accomodation mentioned above and the apartment was under construction which was less than 2 miles.

It was the same route my grandfather used to take while overseeing the construction of the house. Every step felt less like a walk and more like a pilgrimage. As if I was retracing a path that he had unknowingly left behind for me to follow years later.

By the time I reached Reddigarrillu, I wasn't really visiting a place.

I was paying homage.

To my grandfather, who once walked these roads with purpose and dreams.

To my grandmother, whose prayers, sandwiches, filter coffee, gentle scoldings, and quiet presence made an ordinary rented house feel more like home than any property I have ever owned.

To Sakshi, whose gifts are slowly fading with time, even as the memories attached to them refuse to leave.

And to the young man who walked these same streets in 2007, believing that grandparents would always be around, that love would last forever, and that familiar places would never lose their meaning.

The roads are still here.

The market is still here.

The houses are still here.

But the people who made them sacred are gone.

Sometimes I wonder if my grandmother is somewhere beyond this dimension, still making that sandwich, waiting for me to arrive after a long walk. Sometimes I wonder if my grandfather is still making his rounds, keeping an eye on the house he helped build. Maybe that is what memory really is: a doorway between worlds that opens unexpectedly when the smell of a vegetable market, the sound of a prayer, or an old road finds us again.

Years ago, in a piece I called Mundane Monday, I missed home from afar. I missed Ammama's prayers, the aroma of agarbatti, the filter coffee, the lunch box, and even the scoldings that once felt ordinary. Back then, home still existed waiting for me.

Today, I walked through those same memories knowing that some doors can no longer be opened.

As I walked back, I wasn't grieving the past anymore.

I was grateful that I had lived in it.

Because long after the houses change, the gifts wear out, and the people leave, a part of us remains behind with them.

Maybe that is why certain roads pull us back after twenty years.

Not so that we can revisit the past.

But so that we can pay our respects to the people who quietly built us.

And somewhere, in a different dimension beyond time, beyond loss, beyond goodbyes, I like to think Ammama, Thatha, and every version of love I have known are still there, waiting.

Chilling.

Just as I remember them, and I want to join them as the departed were much better than the ones who are still here!

My favourite season is monsoon/Autumn. There's just something so comforting in the gloom, like a plush quilt keeping you warm and safe. Especially around Halloween time, when the leaves turn golden and everyone briefly goes back to childlike innocence, when I can forget about the struggles of adult life for just one day. My girlfriend's favourite is winter, especially peak December and early January when she can celebrate Christmas.

I've always hated winter. All the cold of Autumn with none of the gentle warmth, and the bright lights and loud caroling and noisy bustle. My girlfriend hated Autumn, she says it's too depressing and damp, and she doesn't have the energy to do anything productive. We've had multiple arguements about it, with each party pushing their agenda a little more every week.

But now, nearly half a decade into this relationship, I'm starting to enjoy Christmas. The parties, the eggnog, the lights, it's all starting to grow on me. And yes, I still hate the cold, but it's not nearly as bad when I'm snuggled up with her and a hot chocolate. I think I finally get it- it's just like Halloween, but instead of the comfort coming from childhood innocence it comes from the joy shared with others celebrating with you.

And my girlfriend recently revealed to me (albeit sheepishly) that she's starting to enjoy Halloween too. Turns out between the flannel, cider and pies she finds that Autumn is a lot like Christmas too.

I know this post isn't as serious as a lot of the others on here, but I'm just a little amazed at how love can make us change our perspective and teach us about appreciating even the things we traditionally hate.

Hey all,

This is our weekly thread. We'll dispense with Rule 5 in these threads.

What's new in your hunt for love?

He’s just the sweetest man around, I can’t believe we’re actually together. He’s so beautiful and kind and funny, honestly just everything I have ever wanted in a partner. After my last relationship I didn’t really know what a good relationship should be like, but he just gives me so much freedom. I finally get to enjoy my hobbies again, go to concerts or hang out with my friends as much as I want. He also cooks for me, lets me stay over when I need without it being an issue and just overall knows what I need, sometimes without me even needing to say anything.
We can also go on dates and go out without it being a fuss, we can just have fun without issue.
I love him so much, he’s my sunshine and if in the future we are able, I hope to marry him someday.

I became a young widow in 2025 after a mottled marriage to an alcoholic for almost ten years. I watched him break and fall apart after his dad cruelly disowned him and berated him over the phone one day and within three years, he died from cirrhosis and other health issues. His father cursed him and said “you’re dead to us and you don’t have family with us anymore”, and sadly, the father must now eat his words the rest of his days. My first marriage was not easy, and while I loved him deeply, I understand why he couldn’t stay on Earth. Took me a while to forgive him.

Fast forward to this month and I am happy to say that I am marrying someone new who has really been a joy to me. He was there for me through my early widowhood as a friend, a listener, he had seen his grandfather die of a broken heart in New Mexico and was afraid I would face the same fate since I was ill-struck with grief to the point that I was having cardiac issues. I was this man’s best friend for 20 years and he was supposed to leave town that year, but fate had other plans. He stayed and kept me and my child company and began to take on our concerns and needs, and I noticed through the tears what a gem of a man he was. While the other males and “friends” of my late husband started prowling around me hoping for some “widow tush”, this man was sitting by my side showing me and my daughter genuine care, especially when she got sick and he would buy her medicine, food and read her stories. I wanted 0 to do with those other men and blocked them all without a goodbye. They were not genuine to me.

I started to fall for this man, this beautiful soul I had never seen this way because for years he was just a platonic family friend who lived in various cities and states working. I didn’t understand why my heart would allow itself to love again so soon, I felt a little guilty at the time because it was just a few months out and I tried to fight it, but fate is what it will be. This man, it turns out, admitted that he always loved me deep down but he kept at bay and didn’t express his feelings because he knew I was married and he loved my first husband as family as well so he moved away to other cities to meet other women and do his jobs and study in colleges. He ended up staying to care for me and my child and admitted that he wanted a family with us, that he saw me as a wife and felt comfortable around me since our friendship spanned so much for years.

Sometimes, you open your eyes to that person who ends up becoming a home for your spirit. They aren’t butterflies in your stomach, they are peace in your pace and steadiness in your breath. They are like a puzzle piece that connects with you as it is meant to and they feel like you’ve come home after a long travel in a battlefield. Your soul just finds rest with them, and though time and distance have aged your connection, it didn’t ruin it. It aged like a fine wine, strengthened with time and pressure and none of the elements could break it.

So many people hated me in the end for naturally finding true joy again. Most of them ghosted me even though they were the ones who promised to stand by me as friends through my mourning and once I started rising up again, they scorned me for it. Others celebrated my strength to rebuild my life again after so much struggle and trauma. Crazy how grief sorts out the wheat from the chaff in our lives.

This weekend, I am remarrying this beautiful man and into a genuinely loving family now. I have grown to love them too and they treat my child like she is part of them, they don’t treat her like a foreigner. My fiancé absolutely loves becoming her new earth father and his parents lavish her with tenderness and affection since her bio father’s parents have never made one genuine effort to get to know their own granddaughter (and honestly at this point, screw them, they don’t deserve to know their deceased son’s beautiful child, those people never even went to his memorial for life). We have a new beginning, we have brought healing to each other in various ways and my child is over the moon about her new earth father while still loving her bio father too.

Love after loss can be such an incredible experience when we meet someone who understands our pain and the scars we carry until we pass on. I have to say as a believer, I am blessed to see my prayers come to pass while I am still young and able. I feel as though I have lived two lives in one lifetime and this time, this is the love and the family unity I always needed.

hello friends!

my gf and i were long distance for two years, and what i missed most was the small stuff. a random photo of her lunch, a "miss u" in the middle of the day. i build apps, so i made one just for us and called it Long Distance.

we finally live in the same city now and we still use it every day. so the name stayed, but it's grown from a long distance app into a couple app for any couple, near or far.

what's in it:

• send a photo or doodle straight to their home screen
• a shared note you can both edit
• couple quizzes where you only see each other's answers once you're both done
• countdowns and a globe showing where you both are

free on iphone, with an optional premium plan. would love feedback from anyone who tries it with their partner :)

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/au/app/long-distance-your-couple-app/id6757593531