When Amelie Malmfält opened a message from Kris Brock at perform, her initial reaction was disbelief, quickly followed by a broad smile. In his note, Kris mentioned that he had recently bumped into her parents at the airport and was curious about how she was doing. It had been a long time since they had last connected.
With a smile still on her face, Amelie began to craft a response in her mind. “My colleague across from me said, ‘Did you get some good news or something?’” Amelie recalls. “I was like, ‘Oh, yes … kind of.’” Intrigued, her colleague pressed for details. “This boy, who I knew when I was eight … and then we were together when I was 18 … just reached out to me,” Amelie explained. When her colleague asked who this boy was, Amelie confidently replied, “This is the person I’m going to marry one day.”
It was a bold statement, especially since Amelie was in a relationship at the time, but she felt a compelling connection to Kris that was hard to ignore. Their story began in 1987 at a small Swedish elementary school in London, where they were among just ten children in their class. Amelie, whose parents were Swedish, fondly recalls the tight-knit environment. “You kind of had to get on with everyone, which was nice,” she said, reflecting on her childhood.
The Spark of First Love
Kris entered the school when Amelie was eight, and from the moment he arrived, she was captivated. “He was this exotic Swedish boy who’d lived in Australia and wore a bright yellow jumper that said ‘Sydney’ on it,” she reminisced. Kris, who was nervous about starting a new school, found comfort in Amelie’s presence. “We were only eight, but I remember Amelie was the first person that I thought, ‘Wow,’” he said, recalling the innocence of their initial feelings.
One memorable lunchtime, during a game of tag, Kris attempted to catch Amelie but ended up crashing through a glass door. “He flew through the whole glass door and crashed through it,” Amelie recalled, impressed by his dedication to the game. The next day, Kris left a note on her desk asking if she would be his girlfriend, to which Amelie readily agreed.
A Fond Farewell
The pair enjoyed their first date watching the rereleased film “Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo,” followed by a trip to McDonald’s, making it a perfect outing for two eight-year-olds. Shortly after, on his ninth birthday, they created a bedsheet memento filled with drawings and messages, marking a bittersweet memory since Kris’s family was moving to Switzerland. “I remember being really sad when Kris was leaving,” Amelie said, noting the difficulty of losing her first crush at such a young age. “At that age, you’re not really at the stage where you write too many letters.”
Despite the separation, Amelie held onto the hope of a future with Kris, even practicing her signature as “Amelie Brock.” Meanwhile, Kris cherished the bedsheet, often using it during his childhood, feeling a connection to Amelie through her art.
Life Goes On
As the years passed, both Amelie and Kris grew up, becoming teenagers with new friends, and experiences. They occasionally reminisced about their childhood bond but lost touch entirely for nearly a decade. “It was hard as I couldn’t settle in properly at university, always thinking, ‘When can we see each other?’” Amelie reflected.
Despite their deep connection, they parted ways, agreeing that it was best to cut contact while they pursued their individual lives. “So, it was pretty much cold turkey, and we weren’t in each other’s lives for quite some time,” Kris said, adding that he often thought about Amelie, wondering what could have been.
In 2007, after a chance encounter with Amelie’s parents at an airport, Kris reached out through Facebook. “As soon as I got that message from Kris, I just knew if it’s ever going to happen, this is going to be the time,” Amelie recalled, feeling that her current relationship was not going anywhere. Both were newly single and began to rekindle their friendship, gradually realizing that the chemistry they once had was still incredibly much alive.
Rekindling the Romance
When Kris visited London, the two quickly fell back into a comfortable rhythm. “It was exciting, nerve-wracking, butterflies,” Kris described the moment they met again. “It felt like coming home.” They spent time together, enjoying dinners and movies, and felt as if they had never been apart. Within a few days, they were inseparable, leading to an emotional summer fling that neither had anticipated.
Kris faced an important decision regarding his future travels. “I was literally going to travel the world — I had a gap year, a job in Mexico lined up,” he explained. Yet, after spending time together, he decided to set his plans aside and move to London to be with Amelie. Their relationship deepened, and they began to envision a future together.
However, after about a year, Kris had to return to Switzerland for his studies, and the couple faced the challenge of long-distance love. “It’s hard when you’re at that age, doing long distance,” Amelie said. They tried their best for six months, but the strain of distance ultimately led them to a heartbreaking decision to part ways.
A Decade Apart
During their nearly ten years apart, both built their own lives. Amelie pursued her career in London, and Kris completed his studies in Switzerland. Despite their separate paths, the thought of each other lingered. “If the day I die, if I hadn’t ended up with Amelie, it just wouldn’t have felt complete,” Kris expressed, emphasizing his enduring feelings for her.
In a twist of fate, Kris’s Facebook message reignited their connection, leading Amelie to reflect on the possibility of rekindling their romance. “I started imagining a life with Kris,” she said, realizing that their connection felt as strong as ever.
When they met again, it was as if no time had passed. They quickly resumed a relationship, with Kris moving to Stockholm after some time. Amelie decided to join him, taking a leap of faith into a new life together. “It felt like it was always meant to be,” she said, noting how easily they adapted to living together.
Building a Future Together
They married in Ibiza, surrounded by family and friends, and soon welcomed two children into their lives. “Swedish weddings are always very heavy on the speeches,” Kris noted, reminiscing about their special day and the heartfelt memories shared.
The couple faced challenges along the way, including Kris’s diagnosis of a benign brain tumor in 2020. “It was a big thing, and a big thing for the family,” he shared. During this difficult time, their friends became a vital support system. “A group of friends becomes your extended family during those harder times,” Amelie added.
Through the ups and downs, Amelie and Kris have built a life they are proud of in Sydney, where they have embraced their roles as parents. They are content, having become Australian citizens while still holding onto the hope of new adventures in the future.
As they glance forward to their next chapter, Amelie reflects, “Call it fate. Call it whatever you want, but it seems like it was always meant to be.” With their family and shared dreams, they continue to nurture their enduring love story that began in childhood.
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