"We were just friends, that's how it started," starts Chante Moore in her 1999 classic See You in a Different Light, in which she features JoJo Hailey.

Remember it?

You and your friend decide that you've known each other for a very long time and no one knows you like he/she does. The friend is among the first people you call when you have good or bad news.

One day you're just sitting and talking and next thing you know, you're kissing.

Fireworks!

This is how I remember the two serious relationships I've been in started.

I don't know what being courted is and honestly, I do not even know how to respond to a stranger saying nice things to me. I am not one to open up to people I don't know.

When I was on the bus the other day, I watched what I thought could be a beautiful love story unfold - a man making a move on a woman.

The young woman hopped onto the bus but it was already full, so she had to stand.

At the next stop, a man gets in and stands right behind her.

I do not recall how the conversation started but I could hear that he was telling her that he would like to get to know her better.

I swear my ears rose with excitement because of what I was hearing.

Their conversation went on for a very long time.

Eventually, the man takes his phone out of the pocket and hands it to the beautiful lady and asks her to punch in her numbers and save them.

She takes it and scrolls through the apps.

"Do you have any games on your phone?" she asks with a smile.

I give her side eyes and wondered what she was playing at.

The man told her no and scrolled the phone back to the phone dialling screen.

She smiles again and punches in her number.

Happy chap. That moment could be the beginning of the rest of their lives together.

I would never do that - give a stranger my numbers just like that?

I mean, I do greet back when a man says, "Hi", but I will not even look at him, if he persists, the next thing I say is, "I'm not interested".

But how else will one find love? Time is running out. Or is it?

People often say to meet new people, you must go out and socialise. Yep, they are talking to someone who doesn't mind spending the whole day in bed on a Saturday.

Go out, for what, for who? Lol!

I tried Tinder but chickened out a few weeks later.

Found several matches and we started talking, even though the response time was terrible.

I deleted and ran for my life when one of the conversations was maturing and I could tell that the next thing the match was gonna say was, "Can we meet?"

Never. Andizi!

How do we even decide on which restaurant to go to? My safety? A friend said you can take someone to the place on the day and they can sit on the other table where they can see you.

But the problem is starting to get to know someone, gaining trust and knowing you're safe with them.

As I pen this, I want to give love and feel cherished and appreciated, but does it have to be with a stranger?

If so, thank you, bye!