“It was the right person, wrong time”

Thomas, 26, sales executive, London

I was introduced to Ellie online through a mutual friend of ours. We initially spoke in a group chat but soon started texting separately. I was definitely attracted to her; she had long ginger hair and a great personality. She always had really good banter, too. I lived in Swansea and swam professionally at that time so it was difficult to meet up. But I visited London for a weekend and went to hers. Drinks were flowing and we had a laugh. The night’s antics saw her and her friends attack me with nail varnish – I was absolutely caked in it. It was really funny and I think that’s when we realised we liked each other. We had been speaking for ages, but when we met it just clicked. Humour was a big part of our relationship – we’d always be joking around.

A few months after getting together, I moved back to London. We spent a lot of time on nights out or at parties and saw each other loads. She even moved in with me towards the end. But we were both really young and she was off to university – that’s when things got difficult, as she was going to be miles away. I said I’d happily give it a go, but in the end, Ellie decided to break things off. Even though it hurt, it made sense to me. The break-up, five years ago, was the last time I saw her.

When I first met Ellie on the date, I kept laughing; it was all so weird. But it soon felt the same as it had before. She hasn’t changed at all. She joked that she’s skinnier now, but she’s just the same person she was back then. The whole experience was as silly and spontaneous as our relationship had been at the start. With Ellie I’ve always felt it was a case of the right person at the wrong time.