How we met - my story

A year ago today, Mr B and I (the newly Mrs B), were still on our honeymoon in Scotland, holed up in a tiny cottage in the frigging middle of no where (we got SO lost trying to find it, and then our food delivery got stuck in a ditch trying to reach us, sigh, but that's another story...). It was pretty perfect, after that initially rocky first night. It's nice to think about how we got from there, to where we are today, all from the day we first me when we barely even noticed each other straight off - that changed pretty quickly, obviously...

So here's how it all started. Growing up I struggled to make a lot of friends at school, since I had such different tastes and interests to most of the people my age - I was into music and books rather than boys and make-up (that came later). Around the time I was really starting to get into music, one band in particular, was also around the time I was using the internet a lot more, and so it seemed natural to use that as a way to find people my age, who liked the same kind of things. To cut a long story short, I met some of my best friends through an internet forum, and since we were all based near to London, we would meet up to go to concerts and to see each other (and er, get quite drunk...). When we left London for various different universities, it was a sort of unspoken agreement that we'd all meet up again every Christmas when we were back home.

I merrily turned up at our preferred boozer in the heart of the city, not knowing that one of my friends had invited some new friends along, as well as the old gang. I thought Mr B was nice, but quiet and a little geeky (I wasn't wrong), so didn't give him much thought when I started chatting to everyone else. I barely remember speaking to him at all that afternoon, although he might remember it differently (more on that to come). I left the group to attend a concert whilst they took a little train ride round London. But when I rejoined them everything was different. With fewer people and less commotion around, suddenly I really noticed this cute boy with the glasses and the silly Paddington-Bear coat. I wanted to sit next to him, I wanted to talk to him. I couldn't believe I'd not really noticed him 4 hours earlier, but now I couldn't take my eyes of him.

We went back to our friend's house where we both where staying (I had planned to, he had not, but I guess something made him not want to leave...) where I charmed him by stealing his beer and being rather overtly aggressive at Monopoly (something he credited with having won his heart in his wedding speech). And before we knew it it was time for bed. I was desperate to find a way to delay this or find some way around it, because I didn't want to waste another second not talking to this boy who'd captivated me so completely, but I couldn't.

The next morning I woke up frantic to see him and talk to him, to keep getting to know him, but then I saw him, and that feeling went away. Something had changed and suddenly it felt like I'd known him all my life, like he was my best friend (a feeling that has never left me). That morning we just felt so comfortable together, we joked around, talked about how much we loved doctor who, I pushed him (this boy I barely knew) off the bed we were both sat on. We did not want to leave, but again, we had to.

Getting ready to see him off at the train station, he, having just bought a sandwich for his trip, was holding it in his mouth whilst he put his wallet away, and I, clearly losing my mind temporarily, feeling sad but not really knowing why, grabbed the other end of the sandwich with my mouth! He looked surprised for about a second before pulling it and suddenly we, two near strangers, were fighting over this sandwich (Wensleydale & Carrot Chutney, a sandwich worth fighting over, I think you'll agree) like animals. I only let go off my end when I glimpsed an old lady giving us the funniest look over his shoulder and we both dissolved into giggles. And then it was time to for the Goodbye we did not want to say :(

Immediately after all this, Christmas with my family (a bit of an ordeal since there are so many of us) happened, so I didn't have much time to brood over that boy, but when I got back to Uni a week later, there was a message waiting from him which made my heart soar, and well, we haven't stopped talking and laughing since. FYI, it's pretty awesome marrying your best friend.