A love story written in the stars

I once heard someone say “It was time that made us friends. But it was love that made us something more.”, and for our relationship nothing can be truer.

It was the first year of varsity and my friends and I had decided we didn’t like our applied math’s lecturer on the engineering campus, so we moved to the other lecturer’s class instead. This was one of the best decisions I could have made in my life because it was the first time I would lay my eyes upon Christelle. She was beautiful, radiant and utterly captivating. Something stirred in me that day, an inexplicable feeling, but one that I now realise was the spark that would light up my world. This was the feeling that I had met my future wife, however, as life teaches us, some stories need time to unfold.

Throughout this first year our connection would grow not from grand gestures, but from the quiet strength of friendship. She would, however, get the odd coffee or chocolate as we studied together in the library along with our group of friends, but in the truest sense we would become companions, study partners and life advisors. We helped navigate each other through the gruelling life of engineering students at varsity.

The following year would approach rapidly, and it was in this time that more than just friendship would blossom in our relationship. As we were each other’s life and relationship advisors, we would both find ourselves single. During a particular week of classes, we could often be seen together and one day during a self-study tutorial session, Christelle would approach me for “assistance” with an equation. She hugged me from behind my chair while looking over my shoulder at my work and this was the first time that I got the impression that Christelle might have feelings for me. My thoughts would be confirmed as I looked over at my stunned friend and his only reply was, “…and that? When did this happen?”. I knew then that I should not let this opportunity pass me by and with as much bravado as I could muster, I invited Christelle on a date to the movies…along with all our friends. Now, I know what all of you are thinking, but in my defence the situation was not as cut and dry. It’s not like the signs were blatantly obvious to everyone but me… ahem moving on. Luck would at least be on my side as everyone cancelled, and it was just the two of us. I picked her up that evening and noticed that she had put a lot of effort into looking very beautiful for this date. Her hair was curled, her makeup was perfect, and she was dressed to impress. We would go on to have a wonderful date and on a cool summer evening, beneath the stars of the North-West, in the half empty parking lot of the mall, we would share our first kiss and scar our first car guard for life. It was a passionate kiss after all. We would spend the rest of the evening talking, eating Coco Pops and Fruit Loops – I know, very romantic, but we did not want the night to end.

On the 20th of April 2019, we would make our relationship official and would become inseparable. Christelle would become my best friend, my constant companion and the person I could fully be myself with. The following four years would pass by with shared laughter, dreams, fears, tears and a deepening love that settled into something enduring. We didn’t just fall in love – we built it, together, with every moment and every choice. However, one choice had yet to remain.

On the 22nd of December 2023, I asked Christelle to marry me by the ocean in Dana Bay – the sound of waves echoing the quiet certainty in my heart. She said yes, and in that moment, all the years, all the waiting – it all made perfect, beautiful sense. From the first glance in maths class, to the promise of forever by the ocean, our love has been a quiet miracle and yet the story has only just begun.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.