I thought he meant he fell in love with her when they met at the ball and he called her a dog(that was kind of funny but also very weird when it's revealed that he knows her and is in love with her). But no, they met as kids ( ̄へ ̄) I read it in so many stories, especially in Chinese manhua and I'm just not into it. It's not how I want the characters to be "fated to be together". It takes away some of the spontaneity of the romance for me. And it has also felt randomly added in some stories.