From how we met, to where we are now – this is mine & Adam’s real life love story (so far!)
Last Updated: January 2023
See, no relationship is perfect, and I’m not going to paint ours to be either…
But EVERYONE can write the love story they really want and deserve – that becomes just as beautiful, special and magical, than anything else you’d read!
See, Adam’s made me feel a kind of love I didn’t even know was real and I’m now in the kind of relationship I once only dreamed of having…
I want to show you that your own kind of real-life “happily ever after” DOES exist and everything you’ve ever wanted IS within reach.
Our Real Life Love Story (So Far!)
So let’s start from the top. Here’s our real life love story so far…
Where I Was At Before I Met Adam
So before I met Adam, I’d been single for nearly 2 years. And – despite everything – it had been a pretty great couple of years, which genuinely felt like they’d gone by in the blink of an eye!
I’d dated (a lot!), I’d lived (as much as I could when you’re single during lockdown!) and was genuinely in the best place I’d been in a long time.
I’d spent a couple of months in London – living the London life I’d always craved for. (And boy was that a lot of fun!)
On the weekend that Adam and I crossed paths, I was back in Worcester (where we live now), out with my friends to celebrate the first night of FULL FREEDOM (with nightclubs re-opening and everything – finally – back to “normal”, or “the new normal”, as they used to say back then.)
I wanted to spend some time back home as I was planning on jetting off traveling for a little while and – at this point now – that was actually starting to become possible.
Now the funny thing is (and I don’t know if you believe in fate), but:
- I very nearly COULDN’T go out this night, as I received an incorrect “stay at home” isolation demand (which I only got lifted a couple of hours before I was due to go out!)
- The other “spooky” thing, was that Adam and I met at a bar that he NEVER usually goes into. He doesn’t really know why he ended up there that night, but if he hadn’t of ventured in – and at the exact same time as me – our paths would never have crossed… We’d never had met!
The Moment Adam & I First Met
So hey – picture this. I was on a girls night out. Adam was on a lads night out.
My friends went to the bar to get a drink and I waited at the table to keep our table (as it was a pretty busy night, as you can imagine! Like I said – FIRST NIGHT OF FREEDOM! 😉)
When I glanced up at the bar to see how they were getting on, that’s when I first locked eyes with Adam… Now Adam’s a pretty big guy. Not wide, but tall. So you kind of can’t miss him!
But I have never, in my life, had such strong, intense eye contact with a stranger…
There was something there, right from that very first moment. It really was that instant connection, you think only exists in movies. Yet here is was…
The start of our real life love story, right there and then!
I looked away from Adam, but couldn’t help finding myself look back at him…. And as I looked back at him, he looked back at me too. It was comical, and cute.
We smiled, and kind of laughed. And after a few times of this back-and-forth, that’s when Adam came over to introduce himself. (He gave a pretty cheesy chat up line if I remember rightly, but I won’t embarrass him anymore than I have to on here! 🤪)
Either way, it worked, didn’t it?! As we then spent the rest of the night together – sparks flying. We chat endlessly, we laughed, we danced, we had a good sing. And Adam fit in with my friends, instantly!
The Next Day
The next day, I didn’t know what to expect…
Yes, there was undeniably, something there. But I didn’t know if it was just the “magic in the moment” sort of thing, heightened by alcohol and the “good vibes” that was around us.
But the next day, he text. The conversation flowed and – the funny thing is – Adam’s not usually a big texter. He’s dyslexic so tries to send the bare minimum.
I, on the other hand, am a writer. I love to have deep chats and interesting conversations and it’s important to me that I can bounce off someone.
That’s why it’s so amazing looking back now, as it shows that Adam put more graft into his texts than (presumably!) he ever has IN HIS LIFE (no exaggeration!)…
Because we had some serious essays going back and forth between us (which I know now) would have probably been pretty hard for him! (Not that I realised this at the time!)
The following week, we met again, and it was exactly the same as when we were together the first time – that chemistry and connection was just as strong.
Our Real Life Love Story
Now, there’s many things that I love about Adam, but one is definitely his creativity.
See, Adam wanted to go “all out” for our first date… But I was reluctant and wary.
However, ever the persistent, after seeing Adam for a second time, he managed to convince me not to be worried, and so I agreed to go on a PROPER first date with him.
But this wasn’t just any old date, because – I kid you not – Adam handed me three envelopes. Three envelopes which were numbered.
Each envelope included a letter which detailed a different date that he had planned for us. And each of these envelopes – I opened on the day of the date…
So I didn’t know what we were doing until the very last minute when we’d get there! (Uh huh, it was incredibly fun and spontaneous!)
It was kind of clever too – when you think about it – as it bagged Adam, not just one date, but a guarantee of at least three.
(Because hey, who could resist this?! The excitement?! The effort?! The romance?! It was amazing and incredibly special in today’s dating world… Especially when it was so early on!)
Our First Date(s)
For the first surprise date, we went to a wildlife park, where Adam also prepared a HUGE picnic – fit for 10 people, I swear! It was ridiculously sweet…
All of these little sandwiches he’d made, and nibbles packed up. Food, drinks, treats, sweets, the lot! (After all, it was so early on – he didn’t really know what I liked, so I guess he covered all bases!)
He even borrowed his MOM’S picnic set to pack it all in… It wasn’t the most manly, we’ve got to admit (and he’ll probably scowl at me for revealing this!) but that only added to it!
What’s more, it then ended up raining during the picnic – so we ended up sitting under these huge 3 umbrella’s he propped up around us…
But it didn’t even matter! This – if anything – only made it more romantic!
With date 2 and 3, we actually didn’t end up doing these in order. We’d do little dates in between, because the more we saw each other, the more we couldn’t wait to see each other. (And the dates he had planned were full days out.)
We just liked spending time in each others company, but the special thing was…
Every time we saw each other, we did something different. We didn’t ever just sit in. Or when we were just chilling in my apartment, we were doing some sort of home date idea / activity… Or even just sitting there, talking and genuinely taking the time to get to know each other.
(I don’t think we even switched the television on for the first couple of months!)
It was fun and refreshing and even though we are completely different people in many ways, we have always shared the same enthusiasm for DOING THINGS, making the most of every moment and seizing life! It’s what makes us, now, the best of friends.
As Things Started To Progress
Now, I can honestly say that I had never dated a guy where I felt so safe, so relaxed and so “loved.”
Early on, I didn’t know where things were heading, but initially, I wasn’t even thinking about it. (Amazingly!) I was simply enjoying getting to know him and enjoying doing different things with him.
We dated for two months, before making things official. But even during these two months – dating Adam was different.
I met his family very early on, I’d already met his friends that first night, but we then did other things with them during that time.
I mean, one month since meeting – we went to a music festival together! But it wasn’t weird. It didn’t feel rushed. It was just natural… Felt normal even.
And we quickly became “exclusive”, simply because we weren’t interested in anyone else. It wasn’t even a discussion that had to be had. It just happened. But that’s the thing…
We hadn’t been looking for anyone at the time we met. But we found each other. And it felt so unbelievably right. That’s what then made it so simple and so easy. And everything just naturally grew and progressed from there.
My Internal Battle
Now, I’m not going to lie – there were a few internal battles going on, mostly because (back then) I was still working to overcome the issues that stemmed from my teenage trauma.
These issues don’t just go away, no matter who you meet. They only go away by what YOU do and how YOU tackle them, yourself.
But, unlike with other guys I’d dated, these issues weren’t brought out dramatically, or heightened, with Adam. In fact, they were eased, as he made me feel so safe and secure.
I still found it difficult and unnatural to simply put my trust in him, and trust that this would pan out the way I started to hope and want it to. I still struggle with trust, even today.
And the more my feelings developed, the more scared I became of getting hurt….
But every time I was with him – all of my fears disappeared. And every time we were apart – he had this great way of putting my mind at ease.
And so I forced myself to stop repeating my habits of the past, and simply allow this to be what it was meant to be. ❤️
Making It Official
Even before Adam and I got into a relationship, it still FELT like we were in a relationship. We just hadn’t yet put a label on it. See, we’d both said:
Our next relationship is going to be THE relationship.
Neither of us wanted to go through a breakup again, and we were ready to find the right person to build a life with – even if we met sooner than we expected to!
For this reason, we wanted to make sure it was 100% right, before taking that step and making that commitment. It takes time to get to know someone properly, after all.
But because we spent so much quality time together, and really made the most of every moment, when that right time did come, we felt fully confident with it.
And when Adam did then finally make it official, he certainly didn’t do it by halves…
How Adam Asked Me To Be His Girlfriend!
See, Adam asked me out at a music concert, with an infinity bracelet.
I know, my heart melts a little again now, just writing it.
As not only was it the most amazing night, but the meaning behind the bracelet of that being “forever” and him choosing to ask me out there – made it so perfectly special.
Now, okay… strictly speaking… Adam actually asked me AFTER the concert, whilst we were in the car, before we drove home!
This means he snuck the bracelet in… past security… without me knowing… carried it all the way around with him… only to then get it out once BACK in the car… 😅
He said this was because I was singing my heart out, all the way through the concert, so he didn’t really get chance!… Which was true! I was really going for it! Although I kind of think he lost his nerve a little too 😉
But – that’s real life. That’s just one of the things that makes our real life love story so real and so true. See, the perfect plans don’t always go exactly to plan, but things like that, only make it more endearing, and memorable!
Our Real Life Love Story
Since making it official, Adam and I continued writing our real life story – doing loads, experiencing loads and loving deeply throughout. We’ve:
- Done over 100 different dates, and are now working our way towards 200 different dates!
- Had adventures abroad. And explored here in the UK – the biggest being a mighty road trip in a camper van, right the way around Scotland. (That was a new experience for the both of us!)
- We’ve moved in together, making my apartment our home. (And are now looking for our next home, to buy together.)
- And there’s been SO many romantic gestures, from both sides. Surprise love dens made, fun little romantic scavenger hunts, 30 notes with “30 reasons why I love you”, surprise get-aways with those “pack your bags, I’m taking you away!” notes – to mention just a few. See, we’re both very romantic people and we do these things, not because we have to – but because we want to. And in turn, it keeps the relationship fresh and full of love! (I’m very lucky in that respect, as I’ve never met someone who’s as creative with romantic gestures as me!)
- We still have a healthy balance, with our own lives away from each other, and we support one another passions and interests, apart. (This is a key component when it comes to how to make a relationship last.)
- But we’re building a real life together, and have even started our own little family, getting Cody, our Maine Coon (who is literally like our baby!)
Now of course, there’s been hiccups and challenges. This is natural and normal as you learn more about the other person (and especially learn how to live with them! That’s a big one, right?!)
For me, the biggest thing has been letting go of my negative past experiences so that they no longer affect how I feel or behave in my relationship today.
(There’s still a few things I want to master surrounding this – hence the new 12 Month Self Love Challenge I’ve started, to get those final things smoothed out.)
But I’m so proud of where we are, I’m so proud of how hard we love, how much we put into this, how much we both give to one another, and how well we communicate. (Because this gives us the power to overcome anything, and the ability to build everything we want and more!)
The Next Steps For Us?
Well, follow along as I’ll update this post, as we work our way through the different stages of our life together.
In all honesty, I’ve been putting off creating this Happily Ever After section, for fear of “jinxing” anything. (Especially with my track record in relationships. It’s natural for me to feel like I don’t have the best “luck!”)
But it all just comes back to having to TRUST in your partner and your relationship… And having confidence in it.
Don’t worry about what’s going to happen or how things will work out. Just believe that it will work out… Because the right things, always do. So long as you allow them to…
– Ell, Forgetting Fairytales
So here’s to our real life love story so far, the chapters we’re currently writing and the ones that are to come! ❤️
Love,
Ell_xx
