Strangers, again...

Stage 1: Meeting
"I couldn't plan it better even if I'd tried."

Stage 2: The chase
"All I wanted was to know more about her; all I wanted was to hang out with her. The only person I'd wanted to talk to was her. She was the number one priority. And everytime I saw her, butterflies. She was everything that I thought could be perfect in a girl."

Stage 3: Honeymoon
"It was the time when we could finally fully express our affection to each other and do all the things we wanted to do as a couple. It was a dream come true. The girl I wanted to be with so so badly, was finally mine."

"But eventually, the fire cooled and both of us simmered back to normalcy."

Stage 4: Comfortable
"Being comfortable isn't necessarily bad, it's when we could truly be ourselves. But it depends on what you do with that comfort - some use it positively, continuing to work at their relationship and grow together, but others allow it to create distance. And for us, we might've just taken each other for granted."

"Whether it's taking each other for granted or people are changing over time, the bottom line is someone stops trying and the feelings aren't as strong as before. This could happen over a few months or a few years..."

Stage 5: Tolerance
"When we got to this stage, I couldn't believe it and was pretty disappointed. Somehow, the girl I was so crazy about a year ago had turned into someone who isn't that special anymore. It happened so gradually that I didn't even see it coming, but, there we were, just tolerating each other."

"Arguing is one thing, but feeling dissatisfied and unhappy about the relationship is another. We tried various times to try and make changes, to fix things but like so many couples out there, it wasn't enough. It became one of those relationships where it wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. And lemme tell you, that's not a very good way to describe a relationship."

Stage 6: Downhill
"There's not much time left once you're here. The effort to try and make things work just isn't worth it anymore. Problems continue, arguments don't get solved. I don't even really remember what we argued about."

Stage 7: Breaking up
"Happens to everyone at some point. The end of the line. The worst stage ever. I don't know when it will happen, or how, but I hope we can leave it on good, mutual terms, if that's ever truly possible. And this is when the two of us will start a new path, one that leads right back to where we started. Strangers. The change would be so drastic and so blunt, that we'd probably want to get back together right away just to restore what's normal. But this doesn't always happen, and the distance will grow..."

"Eventually, the two of us will move on, we'll find someone new. And even when we both get over the past and try to remain friends, things will never be the same."

"Our lives will continue in different directions, becoming strangers again. And everything we shared will become fragmented memories from so long ago. I'll question if it even really happened. And all that will be left is this - a box of wound up stuff, from a faded period of time when... This stranger, was the most important person in my life..."

Somewhere near the end of Stage 4...
"Do you realise there are only two options for our future together? It's either we break up or we get married?"

"Think we'll get married? ... Do you want to break up with me? ... Well, it's gonna be one or the other. What do you think will happen if we don't end up together? We gonna hate each other? Think we'll keep in touch

"I think that if life separates us and we end up in totally different places, I'll always remember when our parts of life for this period of time and I'll be thankful for that. I hope that wherever you are, you will be thankful too. I think that's the best we can wish for..."