The Stories of 'Not Love at First Sight' Shared By Real Couples

Image Courtesy: Photographs by Ujjwan Vanvari(L), Safarnama Films(R)

Have we not heard of the phrase "Love at first sight" at least once in our lives? The popularity of this concept is a much-celebrated one especially by an array of Bollywood films. The idea of finding love, however, is not always so overwhelming and quick. There are certain meet-cute stories of couples who locked eyes with each other across a crowded room and immediately there were fireworks and violins playing in the backdrop - when everything else stood still, and immediately the two knew that was it. No matter how exciting this sounds, it is not necessary that every love story blooms right from first sight. 

In fact, millennial couples have often taken their own sweet time to measure the depths of their relationship over a decent period of time before they knew that they found "the one." It isn't always one significant moment or one particular incident that tells you he/she is the one, because some couples have found love gradually - where a multitude of small insignificant moments have eventually added up to become a beautiful story.

To celebrate the beauty that lies in the nuances of love stories that do not essentially begin at first sight we bring to you the stories of couples who have narrated their "not love at first sight" tales for you to keep your hopes alive in case you have not met THE ONE yet! Read on to know.

The 'Just Friends' Since High School Story

Ishita and Utsav met in high school and started off on the not-so-right note. But the duo eventually developed a special friendship through the years that ultimately marked the start of their happily ever after. 

In conversation with WeddingWire India, Ishita says, “Imagine a person so perfect (myself) and someone bilkul hi opposite to me? How we hated each other! But they say opposites attract."

Ishita continues to recall, "Utsav and I have known each other for almost 12-13 years. It all started when we ended up in the same high school in 11th standard in our hometown - Jhansi. It was really cliched that way because we never really liked each other from the start. Instead, we were just okayish as friends or more like classmates - but classmates whose parents were family friends." 

Image Courtesy: Ishita & Utsav

Giving an account of the whole story, Ishita says, "In school, I used to be that poster child and a very disciplined girl - punctual, dressed neatly with plaited hair, the knew it all. Utsav was just the opposite of everything I was - he was always late, had unkempt hair and almost always slept in class. In fact, I was the head girl of our school and I remember punishing him for being late; I actually made him take rounds of the basketball court once!"

She continues to say, "He was very irritated by me - he would wonder why was I always giving all the answers in class and that I was a teacher's pet and mostly so artificial. The funny part was when our class teacher made us sit together with the intention that I would help him improve academically. BUT OPPOSITES ATTRACT! When we started realising that we have feelings for each other, we thought we were too young at that time and in fact very scared of our parents! Six to seven months later, we left Jhansi after school to pursue higher education in different cities. That is when I started missing the friendship/companionship Utsav and I used to share in school. He felt the same urge and that led to us talking again after a few months of going without any contact with each other. It was the BBM times, and we would just talk over phone calls constantly." 

Ishita says, "That was the time when we started realising that there is something more to it than just friendship. I cautiously started considering the perks of being in a relationship with Utsav - things like we’re both from Jhansi which meant that we can eventually go back to the same place we come from and plan a future together. Finally, he proposed to me in 2011 and I said yes! However, we were in a long-distance relationship with a lot of highs and lows. Despite the long-distance and its hurdles, we made sure to do all those cheesy stuff - like celebrate proposal anniversaries, send flowers to each other and so on. We fought a lot...we still do, in fact, we fought just a while ago too; but there was always something that assured me of a "forever". We trusted the process and after 8-9 years of our relationship, I came back to Jhansi where Utsav was already taking care of his family business. We decided to tell our parents in 2018. However, they already knew everything and they were just waiting for us to make it official!"

She finally says, "You know we've been in love for the longest time. So when the wedding dates became promiscuous owing to the pandemic, there was a lot of confusion and indecisiveness. However, we tied the knot on 25.11.2020 as was planned, but in an intimate wedding ceremony. We missed out on many of our bigger plans in the process too. All that said, I would not have it any other way.”

From Colleagues to Life Partners Story

Bhavika Anand and Kunal Behl's love story might not have a meet-cute scene but their moment of realisation that they found their soulmates in each other was epic. Here is the story as told by Bhavika.

"Kunal and I used to work in the same organisation. We were never friends back then and we were, in fact, not even in the same team at work. However, we used to sit diagonal to each other. The team wasn't very big back in the day so we would often end up having lunch together with the other colleagues. All of us would hang out, post office hours too. That was the beginning of us talking to each other. This led to us soon becoming friends and then gradually best of friends," says Bhavika who has recently tied the knot with the love of her life in an intimate wedding ceremony.  

She continues to say, "We did not get much time to spend at the office initially with work and everything else. However, after a few months, on an outbound trip from the same company, Kunal happened to slip and accidentally injure his leg quite seriously. The injury was so bad that it actually had to be operated on twice, after which he had to be on bed rest for almost a year or so. During this period, we could never go out on dates or meet each other except for the one time when we happened to go out together - it was just the day before his accident! We never really told each other that we like each other or even proposed for that matter. Our parents had an idea that there was something cooking - but honestly, we ourselves did not know what was this 'something.'" 

Bhavika adds, "When this accident took place injuring Kunal, I had this feeling that it was not only Kunal who was in pain but as if I could also feel the pain. It was a very emotional phase for me and that was when realisation dawned upon me that he was THE ONE for me! Even after this realisation, we could not meet every day as I had to go to work as usual and Kunal was in the hospital for quite some time. So I used to visit him at the hospital on and off. He had given some hints to his family about me but I never really had the chance to speak to them, really. It was only in the hospital that I happened to meet almost everybody from his family for the first time. The day he was admitted to the hospital was also the day he was supposed to have the operation and I remember rushing to the hospital to meet him. The Bollywood sequence kicked in when Kunal was in the ICU being prepped for the OT and no one was being allowed to visit him. Time played a pivotal role here when the doctors and nurses came and asked if there was someone who'd like to see him before the surgery and somehow I ended up outside his ICU waving at him. I still get goosebumps remembering how broadly he smiled even from inside the ICU, clad in scrubs. That was the final realisation that Kunal was NOT just a friend." 

Bhavika finally adds, "Let me tell you a fun fact, our love story also has an 'arranged marriage' side to it. Even though we liked each other and were somewhat aware of the possibility of a future together, we never really expressed these feelings towards one another clearly. My father knew Kunal from the times he used to drop me home and was also quite fond of him. So it was actually my dad who planted the seed and initiated the marriage conversation with Kunal and took things to the next level. The accident took a toll on Kunal's mental health and overcoming these hard times together with his family was a great deal for me too. I met him in 2019 and we have known each other or like been in a relationship for almost one and a half years before we finally tied the knot."

Also Read: Couple Goals Quotes: 35+ Best Relationship Love Quotes for your Loved One.

Image Courtesy: AWPI Union

Love sure has a way of surprising you. It finds you in the most unexpected places and gifts you with beautiful phases with your partner that you can cherish for a lifetime. These are the two couples who did not find love at first sight. Instead, they went with the flow and trusted the process only to be surprised by Love and how!

If you have one such story to share with us, let us know in the comments below.