Bubble Phase Love Stories

Inside the Bubble

The honeymoon phase is intoxicating, sweet, playful, and unforgettable. But when paired with the deep connection of soul mate love, it becomes something even more extraordinary. Inside the Bubble is a series of Bubble Phase Love Stories that celebrate couples who embody this unique dynamic, capturing the magic of love when it’s both thrillingly new and timelessly true.

 

Love Found in a Chat Room

"I wasn’t looking for him, and he wasn’t looking for me but we just clicked.”

We met in 2005 on BlackPlanet.com. I wasn’t looking for him, and he wasn’t looking for me. Chat rooms were places I frequented, and I enjoyed talking with anyone who was open to conversation. We were both in a Houston chat room, and I remember looking at the pictures on his profile and seeing that he was a musician. After chatting a bit, I learned he was also in school and had just moved to Houston. Soul 7 and brwnskinmommi. We chatted and just clicked.

Quickly, those chats turned into phone calls. Memorial Day 2005 was the first time we spoke. He called, I answered, he announced himself, and I said, “I know who this is.” Some nights, we’d talk for eight hours straight.

Those were the days when people thought we were crazy for meeting online. We were pioneers in that way. We are married now and have been for a long time. He’s the love of my life, and I continue to love him in new ways as time passes. It never gets old.

-Kabrina

 

A Rooftop Moment Meets The One

"And he just smiled like his body filled with warmth envisioning our future together."

Our first conversation was on the shared rooftop deck of my new apartment in South Pasadena. It had a breathtaking view of the pastel-colored sky and the towering coconut palm trees that overlooked the apartments. This evening’s sunset was one you had to stop and take in. Lucky for me, I was finally settled in and managed to find some time to relax after weeks of unpacking boxes and putting together furniture.

I made my way to the deck with the plan of silently reflecting on what I would do with my fresh start here, when I was greeted with two young guys chopping it up, and a lack of chairs. They both look at me, and as I turn around to leave, one of them jokingly offers me a seat: “I got your chair right here, babydoll,” he says with a smooth Southern twang as he leans back and pats his knees in gesture. I sarcastically reply, “Nah baby, but you can sit on me,” to which he jumps up and says, “Even better!” I accept his challenge, and he plops himself on my thighs with a childlike grin

Even though we had never talked before, there was an ease I felt with him, and the words flowed between us like we had known each other for years. Underneath his slick talking and charismatic charm was a deeply intelligent, wildly ambitious, sweet, fluffy teddy bear and I was intrigued. This large stranger crushing my legs and making me laugh until my stomach hurt would continue to surprise me as time went on.

At a point in our conversation, he became quiet and pensively looked out into the darkening sky. By this time, the sunset was fading and night was falling upon us. I wondered what he was thinking about, and after a moment of silence, he tells me, “You don’t know it yet, but you’ll be my wife someday.” I furrow my brow and giggle in disbelief. While dramatically rolling my eyes, I scoff, “Boy, you crazy, you don’t even know me!?” Then he turns his gaze away from the horizon toward me, like he could see directly into my soul, and in a softened voice responds, “I know enough. Watch, you’ll see.” And he just smiled like his body filled with warmth envisioning our future together.

Little did I know his words would come to fruition just four months later, as if he actually had the power to speak his dreams into existence.

Our romance has been a whirlwind and our courtship felt like a fantasy. Even to this day, when I talk about it, some people don’t believe me, and I get it because it sounds like something out of a movie. But it’s true, and I’m so grateful to have found my soulmate so early in this lifetime. I was always told growing up that marriage was hard and you have to do a lot of compromising. I’m happy to say that has not been my experience with our marriage. He has consistently supported me and helped me achieve my dreams, he’s taken care of me in every which way and continues to do so.

Six years, three kids, one house, and a growing number of responsibilities later and we still feel butterflies for each other. Our relationship feels as easy as our first conversation.

I associate Bubble Phase with the tingly sensation you get when you meet someone who allows you to be authentically yourself without judgment, who loves you for your quirks. Someone you can be vulnerable with, who will catch you when you fall. That feeling is what I now realize people are referring to when you ask them how you’ll know who the one is and they say, “When you know, you know.” Because he knew, and I know too.

Some love fizzles out, but our love, our Bubble Phase, is just beginning.

-McKenzie

 

The Delicacy of Bubbles

"Syncs followed us everywhere, phrases spoken at the same time… uncanny coincidences and laughter echoing the same beat."

During a season when love was far from my focus, I buried myself in work and routine. The days blurred into “all work and no adult conversation,” and though I carried it well, a quiet ache for connection pulsed underneath.

A friend, seeing through me, suggested I join an app… not for dating per se, but simply to meet new people. Hesitant, I agreed. Within days, a few “interests” appeared, but they felt flat. My instinct was to delete the app altogether… until one message stopped me.

It was polite, warm, and direct, no games, just sincerity. The name attached was “Jay.”

From that first exchange, our witty banter rolled effortlessly, stretching into late-night conversations that made time disappear. I found myself looking forward to seeing Jay’s name on my screen. Soon after, I offered my number and suggested FaceTime.

The moment the video connected, I felt it: a life before this one flickering behind her eyes. It wasn’t physical; it was spiritual. A recognition. A reunion. Jay felt it too. We fell into silences that weren’t empty but filled with awe, just staring as if we were remembering each other after lifetimes apart.

Syncs followed us everywhere, phrases spoken at the same time… uncanny coincidences and laughter echoing the same beat. Jay touched parts of me I thought had gone dormant after divorce, awakening a freedom that made me feel… bubbly.

It was a phase wrapped in light and innocence: the Bubble Phase. Every message, every call, every shared silence floated around us like spheres of joy.

But bubbles are delicate. As deeper feelings rose, some began to pop startled by fears, old wounds, and the shadows of trauma. Yet, even as they burst, not all disappeared. Many remain, resting gently on soft pillows of memory… ready to be picked up, admired, and savored.

How fitting that we met during the early stages of Bubble Phase Eau de Parfum. For this fragrance is not merely scent, it is a calling. A signal to the soul that the right person will arrive, right on time, to remind you of what love can awaken.

Jay, I love you. 

-Marival