FIRST LOVE
Could an ex ever be your next? These two find out
Six years ago, my friend signed me up for online dating – I think she must have done it for a laugh, as I really wasn’t looking for a relationship at the time. But when I checked my matches, Paul stood out, mainly because he’d made a really bad joke. I thought, ‘OK, maybe this isn’t so bad,’ and we started to chat.
I remember our first date so clearly: I’d had such a horrible day at work – I almost didn’t go! But Paul made me feel better very quickly. I didn’t have to put up the pretence with him that everything was fine. We were official within a month. It was all such a surprise. It was my first proper relationship – I didn’t really know what I was doing.
A few weeks in, he went to Rome and bought me a bracelet. No guy had done anything like that for me before. Paul set the bar high, and because of him, I’ve always known what a relationship should feel like. I refuse to settle for anything less now.
But for both of us, being together was a distraction. It came at a time when I needed to sort through some stuff, while he had his own issues to work out, too. After a year, I woke up one day feeling that I just didn’t want to be in the relationship any more, and I knew I had to say something. Ending it was sad for both of us, but he took it well.
That was five years ago, and a lot has changed in that time. I feel I’ve changed and grown up a lot since we last spent time together. I’m very aware now of what I want. As lovely as it was to see him, the attraction has faded. That said, our capacity to get along hasn’t, and we stayed at the restaurant for some time catching up.