A playground crush that never faded

Peter and I went to primary school together. He was my younger brother Aaron’s friend. Because we were only two grades apart Aaron, Peter and myself were part of a group of about eight kids who used to hang out together.

Peter was a regular visitor to our house after school for about two and a half years. Apparently, he would tell his Mum he was playing with Aaron, but more often than not, he would end up watching TV, playing handball or wrestling with me!

Even at that stage I thought he was cute, but never said anything because well, let’s face it , we were only 10 and 12 yrs old and that’s just not how it happens.

When I left to go to high school in 1999 I would only see Peter when I went back to the primary school on Tuesday’s to see my younger friends and pick up Aaron. This went on for about seven months but then I stopped picking up my brother and Peter and I lost all contact.

I moved interstate but during the intervening 10 years, I didn’t stop thinking of him and even looked for him online, but I never found him, then in 2009, I noticed we had a friend in common on Facebook.

My heart instantly started beating and I contacted him straight away hoping he might remember me.

He was ecstatic to hear from me and we spent many hours catching up via instant messaging and on the phone. After about six weeks the conversation became more playful and almost flirty, but I was in a relationship at the time.

A month later, that relationship ended very badly and Peter was there for me.

In October of 2009 I returned to Sydney for a visit and Peter looked after me.

One night he randomly said ‘I have something I need to tell you but I don’t want it to be weird between us.

“I have loved you since I was 10yrs old and when you stopped coming to the school I never thought I would see you again.”

Needless to say, we’ve been a couple ever since.

We spent the first seven or eight months of our relationship going back and forth between QLD and NSW and, in January 2010, while on the way to his birthday lunch at his parent’s house, he pulled up to our primary school and we walked over to the reserve that backs on to it.

I was looking at something when he told me to turn around. There he was, on one knee, standing int he place where we first met, holding a ring.

I was stunned and speechless for almost a minute but am pleased to say we are now planning our wedding – 13 years after we first met !

Kylie (25) and Peter (23)
Location: Sydney, Australia
Approximate wedding date: 6^th October, 2012
Wedding location: Lower Blue Mountains, NSW