I met my DH when we were about 10.....then around 4 years later we became good friends. He first started dating my best friend, but she broke up with him because he wouldn't kiss her, (A BIG DEAL at age 14...LOL) A year later we started going out (It took him 4 months to kiss me...LOL) We've been together ever since. That would be almost 17 years now.....over half our life.
I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world. Even after 17 years he still tells me he loves me a zillion times a day, he still holds my hand everywhere we go and he still spoils me rotten.