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A pairing that no one saw coming has become one of the most romantic love stories to come out of Bachelor in Paradise this season. Here’s why we cannot stop obsessing over Team Stara

It Wasn’t Love At First Sight

Let’s take it back to the beginning. Tara had just polished off yet another cocktail, wondering whether any fresh ‘sausos’ were on their way to Paradise, when Sam and his famous ponytail rocked up.

While the boys were stoked to see him, Tara automatically friend-zoned him by declaring straight up that he was not getting a rose from her. She even went as far as to say that she had no romantic interest in ‘Uncle Sam’ and would be happy if he remained her Uncle. The signs were not looking good!

They Get On Like A House On Fire

With their respective love interests off on an exciting date, Tara and Sam took solace in a cute group therapy session, which saw the start of their friendship blossom. From this moment onwards, the self-dubbed ‘rebounds’ were permanently joined at the hip, and in this ironic twist of fate we saw Tara slowly start to develop feelings for Sam. Michael, who?

Their First Date Was Everything

Tara embodied all of us on a first date: endearing yet awkward, but too nervous to make the first move.

Here we got a closer look at their flirtatious side, with Sam comparing Tara to a catwalk model and gushing about how perfect she always is. Tara repaid the compliments, telling Sam how “pretty” he is and defying recent public opinion with the announcement that she thinks his hair is really nice. Totes adorable!

Just when we thought peak cuteness level had hit, they sealed their date with a passionate smooch and officially took their relationship out of the friend zone.

Love Shack, Baby, Love Shack

Avoiding the ongoing island dramz, Sam focused on proving to Tara how much she means to him by building her a love shack with the help of his bestie, Luke.

But what really tugged at our heartstrings was learning that their love is not just skin deep. Anyone who looks forward to becoming the “fattest Croatian housewife at the age of 70” with the man they think will be “a little fat guy with a ponytail” knows what really matters when it comes to love – making each other pee from laughter, even when they don’t need to pee. Be still, our beating hearts!

Dancing In The Moonlight

I think we can all agree that Sam and Tara’s moonlit dancing rendezvous was one of the most heart-warming dates to grace our screens this year. In between the awkward dance moves, giggling and silliness, we saw them bare their souls to one another.

Sam broke down every common misconception you’ve heard about men bottling up their feelings, by proclaiming matter-of-factly that “loving Tara is like breathing”. We were genuinely moved by how unapologetically honest they were with each other about their love, and their journey so far. More like this, please!

No Second Guessing

Come Rose Cezza time, nobody comes between these two lovebirds and their roses. While some of the other couples are caught up in triangles and squares, Sam and Tara prove to us time and again that their relationship is rock solid. We can’t wait to see how their relationship evolves beyond the tropics of Fiji!