They met on a dating app. Their preschool class photo revealed an unbelievable secret.

Nearly a decade ago, the internet fell in love with a couple whose story felt like something straight out of a movie. Amy Giberson and Justin Pounders reconnected on a dating app as adults, only to discover their love story had actually begun 30 years earlier in a preschool classroom.

Their journey back to each other began when both found themselves single and living in their hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida. When Pounders came across Giberson’s profile on a dating site, he felt an immediate pull. "I saw her photo and for whatever reason, was instantly drawn to her," he told PEOPLE. "I can’t explain it, but I knew I had to get to know this girl."

The feeling was mutual. "When I first saw him, I felt that I was staring at the man I was going to marry," Giberson said.

A couple embraces next to a lakeCanva

After dating for nearly a year, Pounders casually mentioned that his first crush back in preschool was a little girl also named Amy. Giberson laughed it off, replying, "Well, it’s not me, so I don’t want to hear about her!" But when they realized they had both attended Sunshine Preschool at the same time, a spark of curiosity was lit. The incredible truth was confirmed when Justin’s mom found their old class photo: there they were, two three-year-olds with burgeoning crushes, sitting side-by-side.

Their former teacher, Diane Twar, even remembered their connection. "They had a blast with each other," she recalled. "It was a quiet, bashful romance. They liked each other from afar... They insisted on sitting next to each other in our school picture."

Kids playing outside Canva

Upon seeing the photo, Giberson was overcome with emotion. "I just started crying, I was ecstatic," she said. "I was the Amy he had liked all those years ago!"

The couple believed fate had a hand in their reunion. "Someone or something definitely decided we weren’t supposed to reconnect until now," Pounders said. Psychologists might point to the "mere exposure effect"—our natural tendency to feel drawn to the familiar—to explain their instant connection as adults.

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But their story didn't end with that viral discovery.

After sharing their incredible story with the world, Justin and Amy got married in 2016. Their journey as husband and wife continued, and they have since welcomed two children: a son, Carter, and a daughter, Rosalie. The preschool sweethearts have built a family of their own, proving their initial feelings were more than just a coincidence.

As Giberson once perfectly put it, "We’re doing everything backwards, but we don’t care. We’re best friends in love. And apparently we always have been."

This story originally appeared earlier this year.