MANILA – It was that fight during a movie premiere in November that proved to be the turning point for James Reid since it made him realize how much his onscreen partner, and now real-life girlfriend, truly Nadine Lustre means to him.

In their first TV interview as a couple which aired on Sunday, Reid and Lustre swore that they didn't see it coming.

“But I can remember when it started. We had a fight during the premiere night. We didn’t talk for four days. Clark and Leah on screen but kapag cut, wala,” recalled Lustre.

“It’s like there’s a wall. We didn’t talk at all from the moment we get to the set to the moment we get home, even if we were sitting next to each other. It was terrible. Then I realized what it was like to not have her in my life,” Reid added.

“It was then at that moment that it started creeping up on me because I realized how much she meant to me. You know what they say you don’t realize what you have until you lose it? I kinda got a taste of that. When we became friends again, I appreciated her a lot more. I treasured her a lot more.”

Fast forward to the present, Reid said he considers himself fortunate to have Lustre as his best friend and girlfriend at the same time.

“With Nadine, I never liked her before. I never imagined us going to be together ever in the future. I was just completely weird with her, silly. I pick my nose in front of her like I would with my best friend. No walls. And I realized I’m completely myself when I’m with her and I don’t have to try to be anyone else. It made falling in love with her so easy,” Reid added.

Lustre added more “kilig” to the interview when she shared how Reid always makes her happy every time they are together.

“He’s always been there, walang palya, to make me happy, to make me smile. I look forward to all the tapings, even before because I get to see him and he gets to make me smile. I’m happy because you’re there. I’m happy because you’re always pulling me up,” she said.

Now that they have taken their friendship to the next level, Reid said he sees Lustre being in his life for a really long time.

“I know people when they enter into that relationship, they fear the comfortable stage. When you get comfortable with each other, it feels like that spark is not as strong anymore, or the flame is not as strong. But we are already comfortable with each other from the start. I can already see her every day and not get tired of that. So I’m not worried about that.”

The two became officially together last February 11.