If love is a battlefield, then Locky Gilbert and Bella Varelis are two of this season’s biggest soldiers.
Right from the get-go, the pair’s chemistry has been instant.
“It felt very right with Bella,” The Bachelor confessed after he first met Bella on the red carpet.
READ NEXT: We pinpoint the exact moment Locky and Irena fell head over heels for each other
“Sorry I just got lost in your eyes,” a smitten Locky told Bella upon their first meeting.
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But their intense connection has also come with a complex dynamic, with the pair clashing over Locky’s blossoming romance with Bella’s former best friend turned love rival Irena Srbinovska.
In the lead up to the finale, Bella and Locky’s relationship was put to the test when Bella tried to warn Locky against Irena.
“I have decided I am going to say something to Locky because it seems like she is getting into his head,” Bella explained of her plan, which ultimately back-fired.
“I have seen a side of Bella that I didn’t think I would see,” an unimpressed Locky said at the time.
Despite their fight, the pair managed to patch things up with Locky admitting the 25-year-old is a “little s–t” who keeps him on his toes.
So, do they have what it takes to make it last in the read world?
Bella thinks so and she hasn’t been afraid to tell the Perth-based adventure guide she’s falling in love with him.
“I’m just kind of focusing on me and my happiness because you are my priority. I am all in with you and I just want you to know that I’m falling in love with you,” she told the 30-year-old.
Keep scrolling as we take a look back at Bella and Locky’s relationship on The Bachelor.
Back to where it all began: Bella made an instant impression on Locky by gifting him with a heart-shaped pin on the red carpet.
“I got you a little heart that we can pop on your sleeve, so you always remember to wear your heart on your sleeve,” the brunette beauty told him when they first met.
Sealed with a kiss: Keen to explore their connection further, Bella landed the coveted first date of the season… and a cheeky smooch to boot.
“This is what I’m looking for. Someone that will push me to, you know, enjoy things and do things that I probably wouldn’t be OK with doing,” Bella mused of Locky during their nail-biting first date on a sail boat.
“Everything just seems to flow really nicely…. I just can’t explain it. It’s exciting,” Locky explained of Bella and why they work.
“As soon as Locky kisses me, everything else just disappears and melts away.”
Their romance hasn’t been all smooth sailing with the pair clashing over Locky’s strong connection with Irena.
The Bachelor: Locky and Bella’s ‘awkward’ first kiss
Despite their run-in, Bella and Locky have managed to patch things up. But will it be enough to get them over the finish line?
Reunited and it feels so good! After spending months apart due to the COVID-19 lockdowns, Bella and Locky shared a warm embrace.
“She was finally in my arms and she fits perfect and it feels right… I don’t want this moment to end,” the 30-year-old said.
“For me, a relationship with the right person can set you free. Home doesn’t have to be a place, it can be a person… And Locky, you already feel like home to me.”
Declarations of love: “I am all in with you and I just want you to know that I’m falling in love with you,” Bella told Locky last week.
And the feeling is mutual! “Hearing Bella say she’s all in and she’s falling in love with me, melts my heart because I’m heading that way as well!”
