After a chance encounter in Malaysia, it took only a week of camping with Pernille for Geoff Powell to decide he wanted to spend his life with her.

A road trip and a shared fascination for lighthouses illuminated Danielle Scrimshaw about her true feelings for her girlfriend

Throughout her twenties Eloise Snape was a chronic relationship-phobe. When she met Sam, she had to double down on self-denial

When Feryal Ozdemir and her new boyfriend Baykal realised they couldn’t stay in Istanbul, but couldn’t leave each other, they hatched a plan to run away

Andrew Clancey fell in love with Marianne in the early 1990s – then the pair didn’t see each other for 23 years

New to London and ready to party, the last place Jonathan Seidler expected to spend Notting Hill Carnival was indoors discussing books with his future wife

Todd Alexander’s parents were teenage sweethearts who’d been together for decades. He thought he didn’t stand a chance – until he met Jeff

Watching her partner perform an act of heroics stirred something in Jenny Valentish she had not felt since childhood: the fear someone she loved might die

On paper, Andrew Herrick was never going to be a good match with Doris. But after years of subtle flirtation, an office romance started to bloom

A brief acquaintance became something more when Catherine McQuade added Brendan on Facebook years later. But she was in a relationship, and he was shy

For eight years, Maeve Marsden identified as bisexual. Then a one-night stand with Ben – or was it Steve? – cemented her identity as a lesbian.

A year after her boyfriend’s death, Haylee Penfold was used to expressions of sympathy or pity. But Kye’s reaction was different

Turning up at a party in the same outfit as someone else can be awkward, but one summer in New York, a sartorial coincidence blossomed into romance

A romantic trip to Bali was proving anything but for Chloe Elisabeth Wilson and her boyfriend. Then an incident with a scooter sealed their fate

After years of friendship, Josie still wasn’t sure whether she was into Chris. So she struck a deal with God

When she set out for a long international trip, Freya Bennett knew she liked Serge. But it took 10,427 miles of distance for her to realise how much

Dating was strictly forbidden in Zoya Patel’s family. But it was Chris’s openness and maturity, at just 22, that convinced her he was worth the risk

As Auschwitz survivors from the same home town, Abram Goldberg knew he and Cesia had a lot in common. But it wasn’t until they were alone that he discovered she shared his feelings

On a Saturday shift, looking for something to do, Jasper Peach signed up for a dating site. That led to a free-flowing conversation that started and never stopped