It all started with a pair of sisters' playful search for vacation boyfriends in 2005.

Monica Millington was on a family trip to Mexico when she was 14, but little did she know that she was about to cross paths with her future husband.

Once she heard his British accent, the young American girl "called dibs immediately".

On Jan 18, Monica took to TikTok and shared her remarkable journey of falling in love with a boy on vacation, losing touch for years before reconnecting with him and eloping to Singapore to start a new life.

When Monica met Tom

In the video, Monica recounted how upon meeting each other in Mexico, the young couple spent hours just laughing and talking.

When the parents weren't looking, they'd kiss and hold hands, Monica admitted.

Unfortunately, Monica was only on vacation so her stay in Mexico was temporary.

"We cried so hard when I had to go home," the American woman said, adding that they continued to keep in touch through social media.

Years after their first meeting, Tom drunk-texted Monica on his 21st birthday and suggested that she should come visit him in London.

She took him up on that offer and headed to the UK on her own.

The pair hit it off "like no time had passed", wrote Monica. So engrossed were they in each others' company that they had "no photos together" during her time in London.

But just like in Mexico, Monica had to head home eventually.

See you in Singapore

While there was no denying the connection between the two, a long-distance relationship "seemed too crazy" at the time, shared Monica.

The pair got on with their lives, dated other people and Monica got married.

"Being young and stupid, I got into a marriage I shouldn't have," she wrote of the short-lived union which eventually ended in divorce.

She then made the decision to live life a little differently and "say yes to everything after living so long in a world of no's," wrote Monica.

This included a virtual meet-up with Tom, after the latter dropped her a text about her 26th birthday, "with no context" of what she had gone through.

During the FaceTime call, they both confessed that they had "never fallen out of love with each other".

Tom was in Singapore and Hong Kong for work and on a whim, Monica headed to Asia to find her childhood love.

The one-week trip turned into a month-long one and by the end of it, Tom was on one knee asking for her hand in marriage.

'My invisible string'

The couple tied the knot in Singapore on Oct 28, 2017, 12 years after they first met, with just their mums as witnesses.

"People thought we were crazy at the time," Monica mentioned, calling Tom "the greatest decision" she's ever made.

They've since entered the realm of being parents, recently welcoming an addition to the family almost a year ago.

"Parenting is so much fun when you're doing it with your best friend," she quipped.

In the comments section to the video, which has since gone viral, netizens were inspired by their enchanting love story.

Others openly shared their difficult divorce experiences, mentioning that Monica's story gives them hope.

In a separate video, Monica spoke more on why she chose to be so open about her journey with Tom.

She explained: "It encourages other woman to not put up with the bare minimum and to reach for the stars.

"Fairytale love exists." 

ALSO READ: Dating for 6 months, meeting for the first time: Singaporean man and partner finally together in Turkey despite Covid-19 hurdles

amierul@asiaone.com

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