Boyfriend joked his childhood crush was also named Amy. Their preschool photo proved it was destiny
'They liked each other from afar; it was a young love, like a sweet crush.'
When Justin Pounders casually told his girlfriend Amy Giberson that he used to have a crush on a little girl named Amy back in preschool, he thought it was just a sweet coincidence. They had met online, fallen for each other instantly, and the childhood story was simply a funny memory to share. What neither of them knew in that moment was that Pounders' crush had always been her. The truth only came out when Justin’s mom went digging through old photographs and found a class picture from Sunshine Preschool in St. Petersburg, Florida, as per PEOPLE.
There they were, three years old, sitting side by side — the same Amy he had adored as a child now standing in front of him as the woman he loved. Their story had started decades earlier in that same preschool, where their teacher still remembers the pair’s bond. "They had a blast with each other," recalled Diane Twar. "It was a quiet, bashful romance. They liked each other from afar; it was a young love, like a sweet crush, you know? They insisted on sitting next to each other in our school picture."
Like most childhood crushes, theirs was fleeting — they went to different schools, grew up, and forgot. Pounders attended Florida State University in Tallahassee, while Giberson studied at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Life took them in different directions until both, now 32, found themselves single and back in their hometown. When Pounders saw Giberson's profile on a dating site, he didn’t recognize her, but something about her stood out. "I saw her photo and for whatever reason, was instantly drawn to he. She just had this great energy, you could tell. I can’t explain it, but I knew I had to get to know this girl," he said.
The two began talking, texting, and calling every night. By the time they met in person, they were already falling for each other. "When I first saw him, I felt that I was staring at the man I was going to marry," Giberson said. For nearly a year, they dated, still unaware of their shared past, until Pounders finally shared about his preschool crush. Giberson laughed and said, "Well, it’s not me, so I don’t want to hear about her!" But when they realized they had both attended Sunshine Preschool at the same time, everything clicked. For Giberson, seeing that picture was overwhelming. "I just started crying, I was ecstatic," she said, "I was the Amy he had liked all those years ago!"
Pounders believes it was no accident that they reconnected after all these years. "Someone or something definitely decided we weren’t supposed to reconnect until now," he said. "We’ve been so close to finding each other this whole time, but didn’t until the time was right. And that’s now." Psychologists agree with him — a well-documented principle known as the mere exposure effect shows that people often feel drawn to what is familiar.
Studies have found that the more often we encounter someone, the warmer our feelings toward them become over time. That may explain why, when Giberson and Pounders met again as adults, the connection felt so instantly natural. Giberson said the path didn't matter as long as they were together. "We’re doing everything backwards, but we don’t care. We’re best friends in love. And apparently we always have been." Pounders agreed, saying, "It was meant to be."
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