Back Where We Belong

 

They say timing is everything—and sometimes, the universe just isn’t ready for two hearts to meet until it is.

Roxanne and Wessel were once a high school cliché in the best possible way: shy glances in the hallway, secret notes passed between classes, and stolen kisses under the bleachers. But like so many teenage romances, their love collided with life’s reality. With college acceptance letters sending them to opposite corners of the country, they made the most grown-up decision two 18-year-olds could make: to let go, gracefully.

Years passed. And passed. Fifteen of them, to be exact.

In that time, they lived—fully. Careers flourished, relationships were tested, hearts were broken and mended. There were near-misses and almost. Each of them walked through seasons of hope and heartache, growing in ways they could never have predicted when they said goodbye all those years ago.

And then one quiet evening, Roxanne clicked on a familiar name in a Facebook friend suggestion. Wessel van Dyk. Her breath caught. The face was older—sharper jawline, glasses now—but those eyes? Still him.

She clicked Add Friend.

What followed was a slow, cautious unfolding. A message here. A “Hey, how have you been?” A few weeks later, a phone call that lasted three hours. They were both teachers, it turned out—Wessel taught middle school history, and Roxanne was an elementary school teacher, guiding second graders through phonics and paintbrushes. Somehow, without even meaning to, they’d ended up walking parallel lives.

When they finally met in person again—coffee shop, early spring—the years between them vanished with a single smile. There was history there, yes. But more importantly, there was laughter. There was comfort. There was this quiet, mutual awe that despite everything life had thrown their way… here they were, together again.

They weren’t the teenagers who once whispered I-love-yous in the dark. They were grown, grounded, and wiser. And still, they fell—not backward into old habits, but forward into something new. Something deeper. Something earned.

Roxanne and Wessel are living proof that love doesn’t always follow a straight path. Sometimes, it meanders. It detours. It tests your timing. But if it’s meant for you—if it’s real—it has a way of finding you again.

No matter how many years it takes.

Have you ever had a second chance at love—or wondered what might've been if timing had gone a little differently? Roxanne and Wessel’s story is a reminder that some connections never truly fade. We'd love to hear your story. Drop a comment, share this with someone you think about often, or tag a friend who might just need the nudge to reconnect. Love has no expiration date—and sometimes, all it takes is a message to start again. ❤️