Quote from Oladosun Joshua Segun on September 16, 2023, 9:31 PM

Country singer Kelsea Ballerini and Outer Banks star Chase Stokes have been dating for over a year, but how did their romance start? The couple recently revealed the first messages they exchanged on Instagram that sparked their relationship.

Ballerini shared screenshots of their DMs on her Instagram Stories, showing that she was the one who made the first move.

On {Dec. 1, 2022}, at 1:07 a.m., Kelsea wrote to Chase in a private Instagram message, "hiii chase stokes." He responded more than two hours later, at 3:17 a.m., "Hey there how u doin." Later that morning, at 11:38 a.m., the singer wrote to him, "i'm kels, nice to meet you," adding a blushing smiling face. Chase liked the DM.

Kelsea, 30, captioned her Instagram post, "Happy birthday, my sweet Virgo. @hichasestokes."

Chase commented, "My human," adding a red heart emoji.

The conversation continued with Stokes asking Ballerini what she was up to, and she said she was in Nashville working on her new album. He told her he was in Los Angeles filming the second season of Outer Banks, and asked her if she had seen the show. She admitted she hadn't, but said she would check it out. He then asked her if she would like to FaceTime with him sometime, and she agreed.

The screenshots showed that they exchanged phone numbers and FaceTimed. Ballerini captioned the post, "The beginning of us," and added a heart emoji.

The couple made their relationship public in {January 13, 2023}.

In one of those photos, two people are seen from behind sitting in seats while at the College Football National Championship game. No faces are seen. However, Stokes tagged Ballerini in the photo.

The “Miss Me More” singer further added fuel to the fire by commenting, “Go vols.”

Stokes later confirmed that Ballerini was “the best” after she was announced as a “Saturday Night Live” musical guest.

“I mean she’s the best,” Stokes said on Feb. 16 at the Season Three premiere of “Outer Banks.” “I’m so excited for her and everything happening in her career right now.

The {2023} VMAs doubled as a birthday party for the country star, who was joined by boyfriend Stokes on the red carpet. The two donned matching red color schemes as they shared a PDA-filled moment, with a kiss for the cameras.

Ballerini and Stokes have also opened up about their love for each other in interviews, gushing about how they make each other happy and inspire each other creatively. They have also hinted at a possible engagement in the future, saying they are very serious about their relationship and see a long-term future together.

Ballerini and Stokes are one of the most adorable couples in Hollywood right now, and their fans can't get enough of their sweet love story. Their first DMs show that sometimes, a simple emoji can lead to something amazing.