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From meet-cutes to happily ever afters, the essential elements of a classic romance.

US Army interpreter Nayyef Hrebid and Iraqi soldier Btoo Allami met and fell in love during the height of the Iraq War. But how did their love survive in a country where same-sex relationships are taboo, and gay people are often at risk of violent attacks?

When Karl-Heinz and Hedi fell in love they faced one major obstacle: the Iron Curtain. They met as teenagers at the height of the Cold War and were separated by a border – he was in capitalist West Germany and she was forbidden from leaving the communist East. They hatched a secret plan to be together, but it was elaborate and at times even farcical. Their mission seemed impossible – especially when the East German secret police, the notorious Stasi, were on their tail. But maybe, just maybe, they’d get lucky.

Kevin and Debi fell in love as teens while auditioning for a high school musical. After learning Debi was pregnant, they made plans to elope, but those dreams of a future together were interrupted when Debi’s parents discovered the pregnancy and persuaded her to give her child up for adoption. Kevin was soon deployed to Vietnam, and Debi’s parents moved to a different town, and the high school sweethearts lost contact. Years passed, marriages, children, careers, but the memory of that first love - and thoughts of the child they had lost - remained. Forty years later, Debi decided to track down her long-lost daughter, and after meeting her for the first time, the conversation turned to Kevin. After some internet sleuthing, they found him, leading to a big reunion - and a second chance at love.

Across two weeks we’ve curated a collection of love stories from around the world. Love in all its guises; puppy love that falters and finds its feet again, longing through wars and exile, and romance that blooms in the most unexpected places. Messy, beautiful and sometimes heartbreaking. But always human, surprising and unforgettable. You'll find them all on the Outlook website in a box set called Amazing Love Stories.

Presenter: Saskia Collette
Producer: Zoe Gelber

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

(Photo: Cassette tape. Credit: Getty Images)