History ChildhoodFriendRomance / Literature

** Young Amy ultimately marries Theodore "Laurie" Laurence who she's known since childhood. When she was afraid she would die without being kissed, he promised to kiss her before she died. She surely considered herself victorious when he started expressing interest in her.

* ''Literature/MermaidsOfErianaKwai'': When Meela was nine, she befriended the mermaid girl Lysi, even though humans and mermaids are at war. Both their families put a stop to the friendship, but when they meet again adults, the memory of their childhood friendship stops them from killing each other and allows Lysi to act as a ClosetKey for Meela.

* ''Literature/TheScumVillainsSelfSavingSystemRenZhaFanpaiZijiuXitong'': Ning Yingying is Luo Binghe's only friend amongst the Qing Jing Peak disciples. In the in-universe web novel ''Proud Immortal Demon Way'', their friendship develops into a romance and Ning Yingying joins Luo Binghe's harem. In the main story where Shen Yuan (now Shen Qingqiu) [[MediaTransmigration finds himself within said web novel]], they seem to drift apart after Luo Binghe grows attached to Shen Qingqiu, and Luo Binghe's romantic affections end up [[SingleTargetSexuality falling solely on Shen Qingqiu]].

* An Unlucky Childhood Friend in ''Literature/TheHungerGames''. [[spoiler:Gale loses to Peeta when competing for Katniss's affections.]]

%% * ''Literature/TheMortalInstruments'':
%% ** Simon towards Clary. After he reveals his feelings to her, Clary wonders if she feels the same way towards him. [[spoiler:She doesn't.]]
%% ** Luke is an example as well, for Jocelyn [[spoiler:since she was married to Valentine, but now they're set to be married.]]

* [[MagnificentBastard Littlefinger]] from a ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' fell in love with the High-born daughter of his foster family and [[BreakTheCutie he suffers for it]]. [[{{Yandere}} He doesn't seem to have taken it very well]], and gets even by [[spoiler:[[DisproportionateRetribution starting an awe-inspiringly violent civil war that begins with the death of the man his love married]].]]

* ''Literature/TheTestamentOfSisterNewDevil'': Yuki was Basara's childhood friend who [[RescueRomance fell even harder for him after he rescued her]] eventually even leaving the Hero Clan to be with Basara. Her younger sister Kurumi also counts as she was Basara's friend too before joingin the harem.

* Shasta and Aravis at the end of ''Literature/TheHorseAndHisBoy''.
* An Unlucky Childhood Friend in ''Literature/TheHungerGames''. [[spoiler:Gale loses to Peeta.]]

* In the ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' novels, Laurana and Tanis are childhood sweethearts, complete with a ChildhoodMarriagePromise. Tanis then leaves Laurana after being confronted by her family who do not believe a bastard [[HalfHumanHybrid half-human]] like him is good enough for an elven princess. Many years later Tanis is reunited with Laurana who is still very much in love with him and has [[SheIsAllGrownUp become an incredibly beautiful woman]].
Tanis soon realizes he still has feelings for her as well, but the situation is complicated because he is now also in love with another woman, DarkActionGirl Kitiara Uth Matar, setting up a three-book-long BettyAndVeronica triangle. [[spoiler:It is only after Tanis sees Laurana's beauty and courage while she is a prisoner of Kitiara that he realizes she is the one he truly loves. Tanis then saves Laurana from a FateWorseThanDeath and the two are married.]]

* ''Literature/{{Tempest}}'': Tempest and Mark have been close friends since kindergarten and have been dating on and off for the last few years. Mark becomes the {{Betty|and Veronica}} in a love triangle with Tempest and Kona. [[spoiler:Tempest chooses Mark in the end.]]

* In Creator/PGWodehouse's ''Jill the Reckless'', Wally. He confesses that his bad behavior stemmed from a crush in childhood.

* ''Literature/FamilyTreeSeries'':

* Adrianne from ''Literature/ForbiddenSea'' has long been in love with her childhood friend Denn Young, but he sees her only as a friend, instead pursuing AlphaBitch Cora Lynn Dunst. By the end of the book, Denn realizes that he loves Adrianne too, in the sequel they're married with kids.

* In the ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' novels, Laurana and Tanis are childhood sweethearts, complete with a ChildhoodMarriagePromise. Tanis then leaves Laurana after being confronted by her family who do not believe a bastard [[HalfHumanHybrid half-human]] like him is good enough for an elven princess. Many years later Tanis is reunited with Laurana who is still very much in love with him and has [[SheIsAllGrownUp become an incredibly beautiful woman]]. Tanis soon realizes he still has feelings for her as well, but the situation is complicated because he is now also in love with another woman, DarkActionGirl Kitiara Uth Matar, setting up a three-book-long BettyAndVeronica triangle. [[spoiler:It is only after Tanis sees Laurana's beauty and courage while she is a prisoner of Kitiara that he realizes she is the one he truly loves. Tanis then saves Laurana from a FateWorseThanDeath and the two are married.]]

** Laurie himself experiences the non-mutual form of this trope with Amy's older sister Jo. He loved Jo since they met as teenagers, but she only ever saw him as a brother/friend. When he finally has to say it straight out for her to accept it (with Jo ignoring all his advances and moving away to avoid the inevitable), she immediately shoots him down and he freaks. He gets better later, enough for him to fall for the now grown-up Amy.

* ''Literature/ThMermaidsDaughter'': Kathleen's parents, Robin and Moira, grew up in the same small Irish fishing village, fell in love at fifteen, and married at eighteen.

* ''Literature/MermaidsOfErianaKwai'': When Meela was nine, she befriended the mermaid girl Lysi, even though humans and mermaids are at war. Their families both put a stop to the friendship, but when they meet again adults, the memory of their childhood friendship stops them from killing each other and allows Lysi to act as a ClosetKey for Meela.

** Fanny Price and Edmund Bertram of ''Literature/MansfieldPark'' (even though Mrs. Norris tries to invoke the UsefulNotes/WestermarckEffect), who are also [[KissingCousins cousins]] but in a time and setting where that was commonplace.

* ''LightNovel/GoodLuckNinomiyaKun'': Both Reika and Mayu are childhood friends to Ninomiya and both are still fighting over him years later. Complicated by the fact that [[spoiler:he [[ForgottenFirstMeeting forgot them both]] because Mayu wiped his memories with a kiss.]]

* ''LightNovel/GunotaGaMahouSekaiNiTenseiShitara'': Lute's first, and primary, love interest (Snow) has been with him since they were both infants.

* ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'':