16 Heartwarming Stories That Restore Your Faith in Real Love

Since childhood, we’ve been surrounded by stories of unconditional love, whether in fairy tales or in movies. After all, who hasn’t fallen for an on-screen romance and dreamed of experiencing something like that in real life? The people featured in this article truly hit the jackpot and got to experience real love firsthand

• Met a guy on Reddit through a sub for a mutual hobby. We met in person and got married 19 months later. He’s exactly like me — all the things I thought would be hurdles in marriage are either neutral or actually strengths. It’s incredible to be able to be myself, but sometimes, when we push each other’s buttons, it can be especially frustrating, like, “Shut up, me, I can’t stand us right now.” Overall, I’ve noticed that healthy marriages tend to involve people who are more alike than not. © abqkat / Reddit

• I saw him performing at a summer children’s reading program at a library where I was the assistant to the child specialist. I wanted to talk to him as soon as the show was over, but before I had the chance, my boss asked me to do paperwork in the back. By the time I was done, he was gone. A few months later, I was at college in the dining hall with some friends when the same guy from the library came and sat at our table. Apparently, he was friends with my friends, and I just hadn’t met him yet. We immediately hit it off before I realized he was the same guy from the library. We’ve been inseparable pretty much ever since. © Embryw / Reddit

• A long time ago, I started chatting with a guy on ICQ. He knew what I looked like, but I only had a photo of him as a 6-year-old, and I didn’t even know his name, just his nickname. Looking at that photo, I thought I wouldn’t mind having kids that adorable.
  One day we ran into each other face-to-face in town, and I recognized him immediately by his sticking-out ears and the panic in his eyes. He ran off that time, but you can’t suppress the “hunter instinct.” I have to say, our kids really turned out wonderful. © Marquisette Brilliant / ADME

• My ex-husband asked to meet up — we hadn’t spoken in 2 years. We went for a walk in the park, talked, and ended up kissing. He spent the night at my place, and we decided to get married again. 5 years later, we have 2 wonderful boys.
  And just the other day, my mother-in-law confessed to me that back then, he came to see me the day before his second wedding. He’d started having doubts, and she told him it was normal to feel that way. She still blames herself for almost ruining his life. © Overheard / Ideer

• I was in a graphic design class. There was an exchange program where students could go to a neighboring school to take different courses using their equipment, so we had some students I didn’t recognize. One of them was a bombshell with red hair, and I felt like I got hit in the chest by a series of sledgehammers. I walked up to her, thinking to myself, “This is your moment. Be cool. Be suave. Be sexy. Be attractive...” I tripped and fell right next to her table, hitting my head on the floor pretty hard. As I was getting up, she laughed, and I looked her dead in the eyes and said, “I like your shoes...” One thing led to another, and after a series of awkward events, we got together. We took a break during college because of the distance, but got back together pretty quickly afterward and have been happily together for 15 years. © vasaryo / Reddit

• My grandparents have been together for 56 years, during 33 of which my grandpa has been disabled because his work bus overturned. He miraculously survived.
  Grandma never left him, she went through it all. Grandpa was only discharged after 7 months, and then at home, it all began again: feeding him, doing the laundry, turning him over. She taught him how to eat with a spoon again, how to walk.
  But most importantly — she never lost her spirit. She’s 80 now, absolutely gorgeous, always with a manicure, and she knows how to use a tablet. Now that’s love. © Overheard / Ideer

• My aunt suffered a lot — she had a hard life. Anyway, she was a cleaning lady in a nice Montreal hotel.
  One night, a man who was about 25 asked her out for dinner after her shift. The guy was British, and seemed boring and rich, but my aunt was broke and thought, “Hey, free lunch!” She went out with him.
  After the first date, she thought he was terribly boring and arrogant. The next day, he asked her out again, and she accepted, again, for the free meal. By the end of the second date, she thought he was hilarious. Third day, third date, she thought she was in love.
  He, let’s call him William, went back to England. They exchanged letters for 5 months. He bought her a plane ticket for a 2-week visit. She loved him, but was very wary of men and one day threw hot soup at him during an argument she had been picking.
  William left, she packed her stuff. He came back and read her a letter saying he wasn’t going anywhere. She could push and push and push him away, but he would stay. She came back engaged. She stayed in Canada for another 2 months, moved to England, and they got married there 5 weeks after.
  Today, they are the happiest, kindest, cutest couple I know, married 25 years, with 3 beautiful kids all in Ivy League schools in the States, all very down to earth. And now they’re millionaires. I always wanted to find my William. © Monster11 / Reddit

• I work in a flower shop, and clients often share sweet little stories with us while we’re putting together their bouquets. I’ve already heard hundreds of stories about deep love and wedding mishaps, but there’s one that’s my favorite.
  A man bought a year-long subscription for flowers that we deliver to his home every 2 weeks. He constantly tells us exactly what flowers he wants or shows us photos, and we always make sure to get it right.
  One day he came in and said that on certain dates we should deliver luxurious lilies — strictly on those days. I couldn’t help but ask why, and he said, “My wife loves lilies, and I’m horribly allergic. I’ll be on a business trip those days, so she can enjoy her favorite flowers to the fullest without having to listen to me complain.”
  Some people really can pull it off when they want to! © Ward 6 / VK

• Grandpa spent his whole life, as they say, under Grandma’s thumb. She was a strong-willed woman who kept everything under control, and he was the calm type who never argued.
  One time, after they were both retired, I asked him why he always gave in to her. He just answered calmly, “I don’t need those arguments. My job is to get things done. What color the wallpaper is, what’s for dinner, where we go on vacation — that’s all up to her. All I care about is having a vacation, decent food, and a clean house.”
  And that’s how they lived their whole live together, without fights or drama. © Caramel / VK

“My husband gave me a paint-by-numbers picture featuring the entrance and windows of the building where I grew up and where my parents still live.”

• I was having a girls’ game night with my friends. My best friend asked if she could invite her boyfriend (now husband) and his friends to our Discord chat. We weren’t too excited since we’d been trying to have a girls’ night for a long time, but we agreed to avoid any drama. I hadn’t met any of the guys, but I knew a bit about them from my best friend.
  The guys joined, and everyone said hi. Then I heard this one guy speak — let’s call him Ryan — and I was completely blown away. It sounds silly, but I literally fell for him just from the sound of his voice. I assumed it would be a dumb crush that led nowhere, especially since I figured I’d never talk to him again after that night.
  Around 2 a.m., it was just me, Ryan, and my other friend Maddie left in the Discord call. I had asked her to stay because I was nervous about being alone with him. We talked until the sun came up, and it felt like we’d just started talking. I figured we’d never talk again, especially since he was three years older than me.
  A few days later, though, I got a message from Ryan saying, “Hey, don’t be a stranger.” From there, we messaged almost every day and eventually started having hours-long phone calls. After about two or three months, we decided to meet in person. We’ve been together for five years now, with our two cats. We don’t plan to get married for several reasons, but we both agree that we’re life partners. © SaltandPepper8383 / Reddit

• I was visiting my grandparents, who had always amazed me and been my example of a strong relationship. At some point, I asked them what their secret was and how they had managed to stay together for so long.
  Grandpa started a long speech about love, mutual respect, understanding, and a sense of responsibility, and ended by kissing Grandma on the cheek. Grandma just shrugged and said, “I don’t know, but 2 Social Security checks are still better than one...” © Chamber 6 / VK

• We met in graduate school. I wasn’t interested in a relationship and wanted to concentrate on my studies. He said we can go out as friends, right? I said, I guess so...
  We found out we had a lot in common and had similar values and goals in life, not to mention the same career! Life has been good, and I was lucky to find my best friend and soulmate. We’ve been married over 15 years, and I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else, in this lifetime or any other. © mtn4444 / Reddit

• My grandparents have been married for many years. Recently, Grandma had a milestone birthday. We gathered all the relatives and booked a table at a fancy restaurant.
  Suddenly, we realized Grandpa had been gone for a while. We started looking for him.
  At that moment, the lights in the restaurant went out, and Grandpa rode in on a horse, declaring his love for Grandma. Then he got off the horse, went down on one knee, and said, “Be my old lady!” — offering her a ring in a little box. We all teared up. © Chamber ** / VK

• My great-grandfather was a football player from Ireland, in Boston for some reason or another with his team. While he was there, he met my great-grandmother (also from Ireland, and working as a nurse in a nearby city). As their ship was leaving Boston Harbor to return to Ireland, my great-grandfather jumped ship and swam back to shore in order to stay with who would eventually become his wife. © SparkFade / Reddit

• When people ask me what love is, I always say — it’s my grandparents. Their love story began exactly 47 years ago. They met at the wedding of a mutual friend.
  That night, Grandma turned Grandpa down 3 times. She didn’t even want to talk to him. Then came another 11 rejections, another 8 the next day, and another 7 on the fourth day. Grandpa courted Grandma as if he were about to discover a new planet, if only she’d agree to go out with him.
  After 29 rejections, Grandma finally gave in. She agreed to go on a date just once. That was all Grandpa needed to win her heart. They started dating.
  Grandpa turned out to be a huge romantic. He knew his girlfriend loved wild roses, so he started tending a garden full of her favorite flowers. That garden is still at their country house, and it’s absolutely breathtaking!
  Grandma always says she was such a fool. She could have missed out on such a wonderful man 29 times, but on the 30th, she gave him a chance. And she’s so glad she did! Now she never misses a chance to brag about her favorite man. © Chamber ** / VK

Living a romance is a special moment for many couples. However, it doesn’t always arrive, turning our lives upside down — sometimes it comes quietly and slowly transforms life into a real-life romance movie.