Whenever people have spoken to me about how they fell in love with their partners at first sight, part of me has always thought, “Yeah right. You mean lust at first sight.” Then one day I had to eat my words when it happened to me. Here’s how it went down.
- I saw him from a distance. I was walking with a friend and noticed a really cute, interesting guy sitting at a restaurant table. I don’t know, there was just something about him that I felt a great attraction to. I said to my friend, “I want to go say hi to that guy over there.” She encouraged me to seize the day (and the guy), but I was too shy. I feared I’d never see him again, but the universe had other plans in store.
- Years later, we saw each other again. We started chatting on a dating app, but I had no idea that it was the same guy I had seen years previously! He had changed his glasses and I just didn’t make that initial connection. However, there was still something about him that really intrigued me, so when he asked if I’d like to meet him for coffee, I said yes.
- That first impression blew me away. He was already seated in the restaurant when I approached. As he saw me, he stood up and I nearly fell over when he made eye contact with me. He was attractive and I liked him, but there was something else.
- It felt like we’d known each other for ages. I know that sounds like a total cliche, but it’s true! It felt like I was meant to meet him and it felt completely comfortable to be sitting with him and enjoying a chat over coffee. That’s not to say I wasn’t nervous — my heart was racing and I had butterflies in my stomach— but there was a comfort behind the first-date anxiety.
- Halfway into the date, it hit me. I was listening to him talk, but a part of me was thinking, “Don’t I know this guy?” I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had already seen him. Then I realized he was probably that guy I had seen that day years ago. I asked him about it and he confirmed that it was him. Whoa!
- Our first date lasted six hours. It felt like we were only together a few minutes, though. We carried on talking for ages without feeling like it was time to call it a day. But what happened next really made me feel like I had done what I always mocked people for doing: I fell in love at first sight.
- I saw zero red flags. Usually, after leaving a date I always feel uncertain about a few things. In some cases, I feel like there are huge doubts in my mind about the person, but not with this guy. It felt like everything was amazing.
- It wasn’t just about lust. Yes, we really did have great instant chemistry that I’d felt the second I laid eyes on him, but it felt like more than that. It’s hard to explain, but the best way I can do that is by saying that we connected on all levels: physically, mentally, and emotionally. Sometimes just one of those happen on a date, while other times you’re lucky to get two out of three. This guy was checking all the right boxes.
- It felt like coming home. After we met, I felt like I just wanted to be with him all the time. I still loved my life, of course, but I felt like something was missing when he wasn’t around. It was something I had never experienced before. He then told me he was feeling the same thing, and it was clear we had a huge connection that couldn’t be denied.
- It wasn’t a whirlwind romance. While at first I did worry that this was just a whirlwind romance that would tear through my life and leave me dumped and miserable within a few days or weeks, it was nothing like that. He didn’t rush me into a relationship — we just sort of went there because we liked each other so much. He didn’t come on too strongly or give me mixed messages. We both were open and honest with each other right from the start. This was the real thing.
- We knew we had something special. It’s an amazing feeling to meet someone and know that they’re feeling the same way you’re feeling. No games. No lies. We were both surprised to be feeling so strongly about each other, but we also knew what we had found was something really special and that we had to take care of it. Because of that, I really do believe in soul connections, and when someone says those four words I used to hate — love at first sight — I definitely don’t roll my eyes anymore. It can happen!
