What happens when you get a second chance with the one who got away?

“The One Who Got Away”—it’s not just an overproduced Katy Perry song from “Teenage Dream.” For many of us, it’s the subject of so many fantasies, musings, and long, cold nights spent wondering what might have been.

But for one lucky guy on Reddit, the chance to live out the fantasy of winning back a lost potential lover came to fruition. If it sounds like the plot of an Andrew Haigh project, just wait until you’ve heard all the details…

I met the one that got away…
byu/Duncanwentworth inrelationships

When M (30) met J, a 36-year-old stud, right before lockdown, the two indulged in a romantic getaway in Wales that included mountain climbing, hanging out, and presumably lots and lots of hot sex. But when COVID hit, M’s dream lover suddenly disappeared. Communication fell off, and between lockdown and a number of other pressures both men faced during the peak of the pandemic, the two decided to call it quits. M soon got into another, less idyllic relationship, which ended earlier this year.

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But if you think the story ends there, think again. Just as M was getting back on his feet dating-wise, guess who popped up again? That’s right: J entered the picture again once M decided to slip into his IG DMs. The two struck up a conversation, which lead to a recent meeting that went off without a hitch.

Now M has just one question: is J the one that got away? Should the two get back together? Is it destiny? Or just another case of crossed wires?

Naturally, the good people of r/relationships had a lot to say about this quandary. “This reads like a Hallmark Christmas movie,” wrote one commenter, and we have to agree. But some folks had more cautious advice for the lovelorn poster. “I wouldn’t make any kind of confession about being the one that got away,” wrote one commenter, “but rather you had fun and would like to continue to spend time together if he is able.”

Good advice: as we enter the holiday season, we can fall prey to a lot of wishing, hoping, and looking at past attachments through rose-colored glasses. But will M be able to heed the advice to take things slow, or will he proceed without caution? Only time will tell.