After 13 years of marriage, Daniel and Michelle Yiadom Boakye say friendship has been one of the strongest foundations holding their relationship together through love, parenthood, disagreements and the painful loss of two pregnancies.
The couple shared their story on The Couple Next Door, part of Sunny 88.7 FM's Love Unscripted series on the Inspirational Morning Drive (IMDrive).
Daniel, an engineer with Ghana Airports Company Limited who is also a pastor, musician and instrumentalist, and Michelle, a banker and mother of three, first met as students on the KNUST campus through the Baptist Students Union.
But theirs was not exactly love at first sight.
From Strangers to Best Friends
Michelle remembers Daniel as "funny and handsome", while Daniel admitted that although he had seen her around, he had not initially "noticed" her. That changed as he began observing her passion for God and hearing her sing from a hostel block directly opposite his.
What followed was a friendship that grew so deep that Daniel became Michelle's confidant and the person she turned to when she needed advice, including about other relationships.
"He became my best friend. He became my confidant," Michelle recalled.
Their friendship eventually extended to their families. Daniel would visit Michelle's home, help her mother pound fufu and even assist with plumbing work, while Michelle became close to Daniel's sister and family.
Daniel jokingly admitted that he had initially "sister-zoned" Michelle.
Eventually, however, he realised that the woman he was looking for may have been right beside him all along.
"There's no need to look," he recalled.
For Daniel, being able to speak openly and be vulnerable around Michelle became an important indication that their friendship could become something more.
"Why look elsewhere?" he said.
Michelle believes beginning as genuine friends gave them an advantage because they got to know each other without romantic feelings clouding their judgement.
"We got to know each other for who we really were before even the feelings or any attraction came to confuse anything," she said.
"It Is What Has Sustained Us"
Thirteen years into marriage, that friendship remains central.
"It is actually what has sustained us," Michelle said.
"No matter what hits us, we talk about it like friends, and we are real to each other."
She encouraged people considering marriage not to underestimate the importance of friendship, arguing that attraction and romantic feelings alone are not enough to sustain a relationship through difficult seasons.
"Friendship is what solidifies the love and whatever feelings you have towards each other," she said.
Daniel agreed, noting that friendship has made it easier for him to communicate with his wife, particularly because many men struggle to express themselves when facing difficult situations.
But behind the laughter and friendship has also been considerable pain.
A 13-Year "Roller Coaster"
Michelle described their 13-year marriage as a "roller coaster", revealing that she has experienced five pregnancies but the couple has three children.
Their first major loss came just a year after they married.
Michelle carried their baby for nine months and went into labour, only to be told by doctors that they could no longer detect the baby's heartbeat.
She still had to deliver the baby.
"We got married in 2013. We lost the baby in 2014," she recalled. "It wasn't an easy one because we were a fresh couple."
The couple later experienced a miscarriage at about 12 weeks.
For Michelle, the grief was visible. She cried, screamed and went through what she described as the different stages of grief.
Daniel's pain was less obvious.
He said he knew his immediate responsibility was to be there for his wife, even when he had no words.
"There are times I honestly just have to sit and watch her because I do not have the right words to say. I know I honestly just have to be there for her," he said.
The Day He Pulled Over and Wept
Eventually, his own grief caught up with him.
Daniel recalled driving alone one day when the emotions he had kept inside suddenly overwhelmed him.
He pulled over.
"I didn't know why I was crying. I didn't know where the crying came from," he recalled.
"All I knew was that I had to cry."
Alone in the parked car, he said he wailed until the emotions finally subsided. Then he returned home, knowing he still needed to be strong for his wife.
Sacrifice, Faith and Humour
Despite the difficult seasons, the couple say their faith in God and commitment to each other have carried them through.
Daniel also praised Michelle for the sacrifices she has made for him, including putting some of her own plans on hold while he pursued his master's degree and supporting his ministry.
Michelle, meanwhile, said Daniel's ability to bring humour into everyday life has helped make their home a happier place.
For them, successful marriage has not meant avoiding hardship.
It has meant having someone beside you when hardship comes.
And after 13 years, Michelle says the lesson remains simple:
"It's the friendship that has kept us going."
The Couple Next Door forms part of Love Unscripted, Sunny FM's August marriage series featuring real couples, real conversations and real experiences of marriage.
The programme airs on the Inspirational Morning Drive (IMDrive) and can also be followed through Sunny TV and SunnyGH.com.