Stanley and Chanel shared their first kiss 14 years ago

[caption id="attachment_37696" align="alignright" width="300"] HIDDEN TREASURE: This rose held the engagement ring. Inset: Stanley Coutts and Chanel Ray are engaged to be married[/caption]

CHEMISTRY for newly engaged couple Stanley Coutts and Chanel Ray has always been there – literally and figuratively. The two former BSc chemistry students proved it when Stanley surprised Chanel in the "Chemistry Section" of NMMU's South Campus library with a marriage proposal in the self-same spot as their very first kiss 14 years earlier. "To say there were fireworks in 2000 would be an understatement. We were thrust so deeply in love that we spent every minute together," recalled Coutts of the kiss that triggered the romance at the former University of Port Elizabeth.

And it was fireworks all over again on Saturday June 14 when – despite a near-decade apart – Stanley went down on bended knee to ask for Chanel's hand in marriage.

"I asked her to make me the happiest man alive," said Coutts, who had blindfolded Chanel after treating her to a picnic near the student residence of Xanadu for "old time's sake".

The couple both studied BSc and were briefly engaged before mutually agreeing to part ways when Chanel's family moved to East London. In March this year, the two rekindled ties and Stanley visited Chanel, a BSc graduate, and both of their families in Port Elizabeth where they'd grown up.

NMMU library staff were thrilled to play cupid and happily closed off the first floor of the library to allow Stanley to propose in peace.

With the help of his best friend, Juan Botha and library staff a trail of 14 roses – one for each year since that first kiss – was laid as a trail pointing towards a large heart-shaped floral arrangement. A ring was nestled in the arrangement, in Q row, in the "Chemistry Section" .

"The Q section of the books in the library is where we had our first kiss," Stanley said .

After being led blindfolded to the library and with the harmonies of 'N Sync's This I Promise You in the background, Stanley asked for Chanel's hand in marriage. The couple actually knew each other since high school: "It was at St Thomas's prize-giving in 1995. Chanel was first in Grade eight and I was second. We were classmates from Grade 10 but only got together after that first kiss in 2000. Because we were so close, our high school class teacher actually quipped that we would be married one day... And now we're getting married!"

Chanel has accepted a new teaching post in Johannesburg.