We all love a good love story; it's part of why we get so invested in shows like First Dates. From the nervous energy and awkward greetings at the beginning to the simmering chemistry and possibility of a kiss goodnight at the end, watching potential soulmates find their spark makes for excellent entertainment.
Of course, the part we most look forward to is the end of the show when the producers reveal which daters have survived outside of the restaurant, going on to enjoy second and third dates without the presence of cameras. But what happens next? Which couples go the distance?
We caught up with Jessica and Ger (on separate phone calls) to get some insights to their love story, one that sounds like it was snatched straight from your favourite romantic comedy, complete with puppies and late nights spent dancing in the kitchen.
The two initially met on the show way back in pre-COVID times when daters were allowed to sit within two metres of each other and smell of something other than hand sanitiser.
Getting on like a house on fire, the two agreed to a second date at Dublin Zoo where they found themselves sitting and chatting for hours. Despite their connection, though, the two decided they were better as friends, something that Ger says was due to his own commitment issues.
Previously married, the Meath man says that, despite his past relationship ending very amicably, he was scared to jump into another one, fearing that it would ultimately end in tears.
"I found myself getting very bored with dating and online dates," Ger explains. "I got tired of explaining my separation and having the same conversations. When I look back [on the dates with Jess], I really wasn't interested in being in a relationship."
"I didn't want the bad things that go with relationships," he adds, "I would go on a first date and a second date and then think that, in a few months time, we'll be having arguments about the dishwasher. I just didn't want that in my life so I kept backing away, but Jess stuck around. We got on great and I felt super relaxed around her."
When their episode of First Dates aired, the two reconnected and found themselves once again chatting for hours on end, building a friendship that was as much about leaning on each other in the worst of times as celebrating the best of times.
"It just blossomed into a genuinely really nice friendship," explains Jessica. "It was an open and honest relationship between two people who had no secrets from each other. When the show went to air, we were in touch and wondering how it would go - you're always wondering how you're going to be portrayed - and we became very close."
"We were open and honest about our insecurities and we just got talking more often and when COVID hit, we ended up leaning on each other."
When the pandemic hit Irish shores, circumstances for Jessica changed dramatically. Her career in the events industry and her nights of stand up comedy came to an abrupt end, leading the 40-year-old to move back into her parent's house. Meanwhile, just within her lockdown limits, Ger was living alone with a spare room to his name.
Yes, reader, you guessed it. Much to the befuddlement of their friends and family, the two decided to move in together - platonically. They met each other's families, became each other's confidantes, and even introduced a new member to the household when Jess got her puppy, Murphy.
"We genuinely were just friends," Ger insists, laughing. "Jess would come out and watch the football matches I coach and I got to know her parents, it was all very weird for everyone except for us. My mother loves Jess and my brother kept telling people that I had been in a relationship for 12 months but hadn't realised it yet."
"Everyone had a terrible lockdown except for us," he adds. "It's the best summer I've ever had."
Speaking with Jess about this time, the Dublin woman mirrored Ger's sentiment: "We moved in together as friends, and I know COVID was a pretty crappy time for everybody but the last year for us was a really good year of support."
"We spent every waking minute together and a big thing for us was dancing in the kitchen to the music we would listen to when we were younger. Friday nights became our nights out by staying in, and it was just so lovely."
"I don't know how we didn't see it before," she adds, laughing, "it took an entire pandemic and a production team to put us together."
One fateful night, while dancing in the kitchen to Jenny Greene with glasses of wine in hand, the two finally expressed how they truly felt about one another.
"We had never crossed that line in any capacity," Jess insists. "Then, one night, dancing in the kitchen and drinking prosecco - probably more than usual because there was no dinner - I made a flippant comment saying 'I'd marry you in the morning, you're the best and I'm very lucky to have somebody in my life who knows me for who I am because when you're in your 40s you don't tend to meet people like that'. Then he said 'I'd marry you in the morning too', and we just kind of looked at each other."
Then, just like a scene from your favourite rom-com, they kissed.
Speaking with Ger about the monumental moment, he says the kiss was actually the result of a domino effect that started with an overheard phone call.
"I knew we were getting to the stage where Jess would probably move out and get back to work in Dublin. I overheard her one day on the phone saying that she couldn't wait to get back to the Dublin, and I reacted really badly to it," he muses. "I was really annoyed and I realised I really didn't want her to go."
"I never wanted to make a move on Jess because I never wanted to wreck the friendship," he adds, "it was way too important to me. As Jess says, when you turn 40, it cuts deeper to lose a friend."
"When we were dancing in the kitchen I just told her I didn't want her to go back and she admitted she didn't want to go back. The more we went through it, the more we realised we felt the same but neither of us had wanted to break up the friendship."
Speaking with the two over the phone, it's safe to say that both Ger and Jess have dropped all pretence. On both calls talk of future plans and mother's buying hats were dropped with frequency and ease.
"We offloaded the truth to each other and essentially said that we had fallen in love with our best friend," explains Jess. "It's probably the most memorable moment of my entire life, just being in that moment when the person who knew me the best, knew all my good bits and my bad bits, became a rock to me."
"I'm just really happy" she continues, "and the fact that I'm able to talk about marriage and families, I'm just really happy. I love him, I adore him."
"I'm just super comfortable," says Ger. "She knows absolutely everything about me and same the other way around. There's nothing hidden between the two of us."
As well as being a wholesome love story found in the most unlikely of times, Ger and Jessica's relationship proves that, sometimes, love can be as much about a slow burn as it is a hot spark.
"For me, a spark isn't love at first sight, it's lust at first sight," explains Ger. "I just kept saying that everyone is making a mistake by only going on one or two dates, I think the more you get to know somebody, the more you relax and the more you show yourself. Online dating doesn't give you that chance."
"I feel very lucky to have met Jess on First Dates," he adds. "I landed on my feet with an amazing person who I love to pieces and I wouldn't live without."
Reflecting on the relationship, Jess says: "The world had to stop for us to see how compatible we were for each other. There's talk of engagement rings and things I've never talked about with a partner before and I'm loving it. I will genuinely get to marry my best friend."
