“Neither of us wanted to break up”

Niall, 23, is a model from Leicester

I remember Denisa coming into the coffee shop that I worked in, always ordering a latte. It started off as a few little conversations but then it progressed into something more. It was her determined attitude that first drew me to her, she’s her own person.

We were together for a year at first. One of my favourite dates was at Trentham Monkey Forest, wandering around with loads of roaming monkeys! But it’s hard to pick one special moment – we always had fun and never stopped laughing.

It could be fiery, though. I think a lot of our problems came down to daft insecurities and how young we were. I’d get jealous and my brain would go into panic mode – which was stupid and childish. We separated for about six months and then tried to give it another go. It started off great, but then we fell into the same patterns – old habits die hard. I ended things both times… but, even then, I didn’t want to break up. I don’t think she did either, but something wasn’t working.

The date with Denisa was so familiar. We kept making all the old silly jokes we used to. It felt the same as when we were together, but I think we’ve both gained maturity over the years. I feel more comfortable in myself and we’ve learned how to handle each other. It was different, but better – maybe even more fun than before.

Each month, we send two former lovers on a date to see what happens

Find out what happened next at Cosmopolitan.com/uk/first-loves. Want to be reunited with your first love? Email us at first.love@cosmopolitan.co.uk