When Friendship Quietly Becomes Forever

Long before I knew I loved James, I trusted him completely. I enjoyed our friendship. I enjoyed how James made me feel accepted and emotionally safe any time I was in his presence.

Looking back, I realize that love had its eyes on me long before the room turned dark on the dance floor that opened my heart to new possibilities. And maybe that’s why this part of our story still feels like a miracle to me… because sometimes the greatest gifts are wrapped in seasons we never expected.

It felt easy, safe, and familiar.

James and I had created a rhythm built on years of small conversations about everything, nothing was off limits. We talked about our love of music, life, disappointments, family and faith. All of those shared lunches had somehow stitched our hearts closer together without either of us noticing.

There’s a sweetness in knowing we didn’t rush into romance. We grew into love. We were friends and then one day, without warning, the friend I leaned on became the man my heart leaned toward.

It felt natural.
It felt right.
It felt like healing, forgiveness, and hope. 

Friendship isn’t the appetizer before the main course — it’s one of the greatest foundations God can give two people. And in our story, it was the place where love began to bloom, quietly at first, then beautifully, then undeniably. James is the one who listened. The one who cared. The one I didn’t know loved me, at least not at first.

It makes me smile now, thinking about how blind I was to something that obvious. Everyone else seemed to notice what I couldn’t see. It's so amazing to me how love was working its way toward me, slow and steady. Do you ever stop to just think about the beginning of your love story? What was your foundation? Whatever it is, or was, that brought you to covenant should be remembered and cherished. 

Once we finally admitted our feelings for each other, everything moved quickly. It felt like the wind itself picked up our story and carried it forward. James and I went from “just friends” to realizing we were in love. Once love took hold, it took off. I had never experienced anything like it. There was joy, excitement, hope and, a sense of being chosen and cherished in ways I didn’t fully understand at the time.

Next, I'll share how our whirlwind love had us face the harsh realities of real life. And as you probably already know, real life has a way of bringing every unhealed place to the surface.