It’s essential to preface this article by saying that all relationships are unique. They all carry with them very distinct personalities and traits that make them special. As humans, we are all unique in our ways.

We all carry a unique set of traits and characteristics that we bring with us into our relationships. And when we mix those traits with the features of another person, then it just makes everything more complex and profound. And that’s why it’s tough to generalise relationships – but it’s not impossible to spot out specific trends that most relationships are likely to follow.

Typically, all relationships go through specific steps – certain stages. These stages signify specific turning points in relationships that signify just how deep things are going between two people. And again, while all relationships are unique, it’s fairly reasonable to assume that most couples are going to go through these stages the longer that they stay together. Here are the various stages of intimacy in a relationship:

• The initial meeting

This is the stage where it all starts. For some couples, it happens by chance. Two strangers having a random chance encounter at a random place. For some, it’s a meeting that takes place by design. Two people who are set up by mutual friends perhaps. Or maybe, it’s two friends who have decided to take a chance on each other in a romantic plane.

• Getting to know each other

For people who are just meeting for the first time, this is the stage wherein you both really build on the initial attraction that was established during the first meeting. This is when you try to explore each other’s surface – to see if there’s something there that both of you can work with moving forward. For those who are already friends, this is still a period for the two of you to get to know each other – but through a different lens this time. You are already friends, and you know each other in that sense. But you’ve never looked at each other through romantic eyes.

• Young and innocent love

This is the stage of the relationship where everything is still so fresh and new. It’s always exciting and exhilarating. This is usually where a lot of relationships peak. They feel like nothing could go wrong because everything just seems to click. It’s as if everything just falls into place with you two, and there’s nothing that either of you could do to mess it up.

To be continued…