My Husband Asked Me to Marry Him 16 Years Ago Today, and on That Day I Started a Whole New Love Affair

December 21, 2022

I fell in love with my now husband the moment I saw him. Many people don’t believe in love at first sight, but I am here to say, it does exist. We were 14 years old, I had just started a new school after moving up north for a ‘new start’ after the death of my Dad. My Husband, also 14, had been away from school for a while as the farms in the area had ‘foot and mouth disease’ and his Dad didn’t want him leaving their farm and risking bringing foot and mouth back to their animals.

This new life was a little like living back in time. We used to have to get up at 7am to catch a train to school, as we lived out in the North Yorkshire Moors, England, in the middle of nowhere. Taking the train to school might sound amazing, like taking the ‘Hogwarts Express’, but alas, it was a dire experience and an awful school.

This particular day seemed like any other, little did I know the rest of my life would change. Fate had other plans.

I walked into my new maths class and I saw him. It was the strangest thing in the world, but the second I looked at him, it was like a bolt of lightning. Words can’t really explain the feeling, but it felt like two strong magnets suddenly pulling towards each other . . . it was overwhelming. My Husband felt the exact same, and years later I found out he had whispered into his friend’s ear “I am going to be with her”.

Our love was so incredibly strong, and it has stayed that way. We have been together for over 20 years, now 35 years old with 4 amazing daughters aged between 14–3 years of age, the other loves of our lives. We spend every single moment together, he is quite literally my other half.

The Engagement

When we were 19 we managed to get an amazing deal for a break in Florence Italy ( I think it cost us £200 in total). We knew nothing about Florence, but we were excited about our mini adventure. We had the time of our lives.

We spent two days just walking around the streets, soaking it all in. Every atom of Florence is a piece of art. We learnt so much about Italian culture, history, and beauty. We looked around the markets, tried new things for the first time and learnt that ‘garlic bread’ was not a thing in Italy.

On the night of the engagement, we managed to find a cheap but lovely traditional restaurant and ate pasta. At 9pm we entered a small church where two Italian men on violin played ‘Vivaldi’s Four Seasons’. It was so magical. We then headed back to the hotel we were staying which had rooftop views of the City and Florence’s famous Duomo. My Husband got a bottle of wine and as we soaked in the awesomeness of our life in that moment, I turned around to him on bended knee, asking me to be his Wife. My answer was “Of course!” . . . and the rest is history as they say.

A new love affair

I love my Husband so very much, and that moment really was perfect . . . However, on that very same day, I started a new love affair.

Before you get upset with me, you have to realise, they are Italian. Once you understand this, you will know that it really is impossible not to fall in love . . .

They were absolutely beautiful, they took my breath away. Although I don’t love them as much as my Husband, the feelings were very strong, and have continued until today.

I have visited them many times in the last 16 years, and every time I go back, I still feel the same. Even my children can appreciate their beauty, and my Husband feels the same. There is no going back now . . .

Florence, Italy, you stole my heart. You are amazing and I will always love you . . . Just not as much as my Husband.

We cannot wait to see you again soon.

Thanks for reading, Nyx

P.S Thanks for asking me Husband, I will always say yes x

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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