With Cheryl and Janu
by Sam Regi
In a Talking Love Stories special with Cheryl and Janu, they show us that love flourishes when nurtured with intentionality and faith. They found a deep connection based on shared values, evident from their very first date and strengthened through early challenges like a flat tire on their first road trip that led to a moment of shared prayer. Even after a romantic proposal in Qatar and a joyous wedding day, Cheryl and Janu recognize the need to consciously nurture their bond amidst the everyday routines of married life, proving that love requires continuous effort.
Press play to listen to an extract from the conversation with Cheryl and Janu.
"You are the easiest person to access with my frustrations. But... the intentionality is infinite." - Cheryl says to Janu.
Interview with Cheryl and Janu
You shared a unique moment from early on in your relationship—When you both were initially getting to know each other. Can you tell us about that experience?
Janu: Yeah, I remember that moment clearly. Cheryl started being more physically affectionate, like holding my arm and such, and at first, it took me by surprise. I wasn’t quite there yet, but as the day went on, the level of comfort between us just grew. That was part of the reason why I wanted to take a road trip—it forces you to spend time together in an unstructured way. You’re not just sitting across from each other over dinner; you’re seeing how you interact in different situations. What kind of music do you listen to? How do we handle the quiet moments when there’s nothing to say? It really gave us the chance to see how we fit together.
You mentioned an incident during that road trip—what happened?
Janu: Ah, yes! So, we were having this amazing day. We stopped at Samson Vale as the sun was setting, laid out a rug, and just sat there, talking about our future and what we wanted in a relationship. It felt like one of those deep, defining conversations about boundaries, expectations, and what we both were looking for. It went really well, but then we walked back to the car, and I noticed the back tire looked flat.
I told Cheryl we needed to stop and check it out, and while I can imagine it wasn’t the most comfortable situation—being on a second date, in the middle of nowhere, as it started to get dark—she was oddly calm about the whole thing.
Cheryl: Yeah, I wasn’t scared at all. It just felt okay.
Janu: So, we drove to the nearest service station, which luckily was only five minutes away. When I checked the tire pressure, it was at six PSI! To put that into perspective, it should’ve been around 32 or 33 PSI. There was no way we could drive two more hours like that. I called my dad for help, and Cheryl was holding the phone, trying to help out while my dad walked me through what to do. Eventually, the spare tire gave us trouble too, so we ended up hopping from service station to service station, just keeping the tire inflated enough to make it home.
Cheryl, it sounds like you were both calm and resourceful in that situation. How did that experience impact your relationship?
Cheryl: Honestly, it was one of those moments that made me feel sure he was the one. We didn’t panic; we prayed together, which was really important to both of us. That day, sitting by the lake and talking about our families and intentions for the future, it was clear to me that this was someone I could build a life with. When you’re in a situation like that—something unexpected and a little stressful—you get a sense of how you work as a team. I knew pretty early on that I wanted to marry him.
Cheryl and Janu.
What made you both trust each other enough to take that road trip in the first place? It seems like a big leap for a second date.
Cheryl: For me, it was little moments from the beginning that built that trust. We had already talked about our intentions for the future and our families, and it just felt right. Plus, we spent a lot of time together after that—every weekend, really. I knew within the first month of being his girlfriend that I wanted to marry him. I even wrote it on the back of a gift I gave him for our one-month anniversary, like, “We are going to get married.” I just knew.
Janu: For me, it was similar. After that road trip, we spent almost every Saturday and Sunday together. We even started this cool tradition where we’d add one song to a shared Spotify playlist for every day we spent together. It was a way to track our journey and the feelings we had on those dates. But there was one night, at Wellington Point, that really solidified it for me. We were walking on the beach, the stars were out, and we started slow dancing. In that moment, I just knew—I told her I wanted to ask her to be my girlfriend right then and there, but I said we should pray about it first. We took another week to think and pray, and that was important for us. We wanted to make sure we weren’t just caught up in feelings but that we had a real foundation to build on.
That sounds like a beautiful journey from those early dates to the moment you both realized this was something serious. What role did faith play in that process?
Janu: Faith was, and is, central to everything. That night, even though I knew I wanted to ask her to be my girlfriend, it was important that we prayed about it. We took a week where we didn’t talk every day, just to give ourselves space to think, pray, and let things develop naturally. It wasn’t easy, but it was important. We both wanted to make sure this was something that had a deeper purpose beyond just emotions. We wanted God’s blessing and confirmation on it.
Cheryl: Exactly. Our faith gave us a strong foundation from the start, and that’s what has guided us throughout our relationship. Every step we’ve taken has been with that in mind.
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