I got my fave sweets from my sweetie
“One night, my date and I went to the movies and I was talking about how I only liked pink Starburst — there were so many other horrid flavors (orange got a particularly harsh review). So the next time he saw me, he gave me a huge box full of pink Starburst with a letter in it explaining that he realized he loved me when I was being absolutely unreasonable about something as dumb as a candy… and he still adored me. I still remember that gesture to this day.”
— Jacynth LeMaistre, 29, Palo Alto, CA

The way to both of our hearts? Through our stomachs, of course!
“My girlfriend and I have a silly little way of saying ‘I love you’ to each other. We each prefer to pack a lunch for work, and we usually make sandwiches. Instead of appointing one of us as the designated sandwich maker, we made a pact: No matter if we’re at her place or mine, whoever gets ready and downstairs first gets to tackle this daily chore. Somewhere along the way, a sweet little tradition began: We leave love notes in each other’s lunch bags. Sometimes it’s just a little slip of paper saying ‘I love you’ or ‘Last night was soooo hot!’ Other times it’ll say something just plain silly, like ‘Your love is better than salted, cured meats!’”
— Paul Sarkis, 38, Glen Rock, NJ

His super-thoughtful care package revealed his feelings for me
“One day I was so sick that I couldn’t move off of the couch — I really was that weak — and I had to take a couple days of PTO. I was dreading how I was going to pass the time (seeing as I’m not big on soap operas and game shows), until one morning when my boyfriend dropped by on his way to work. He brought me a box filled with all of my favorite chick flicks — Legally Blonde, The Notebook, 10 Things I Hate About You, Working Girl, When Harry Met Sally…, etc. The list was endless — and he thoughtfully included some trashy romance novels, gossip magazines, and cold meds designed to knock me out if all of that didn’t work. Then he called and checked on me throughout the day. It was all so sweet, and not only did it show he cared for me, but that he listened — that pile of movies alone was the proof.”
— Jennifer Dougall, 30, Toronto, ON

Great minds think alike, even when they don’t follow the same morning ritual
“I don’t drink coffee, but the man I was dating did — so one morning after I’d spent the night at his place, I brewed a pot. Surprised, he asked me why, given that I wouldn’t be drinking it. Tongue in cheek, I told him it was my way of saying, ‘I love you.’ He joked that I should do it more often, and so I did. It turned into this thing where every time I made him coffee it was me saying, ‘I love you.’ Sometimes I’d do it after a fight, and it would always get a smile. One day I was out running errands at Target and I found myself in appliances, where there was a coffee grinder. So as a laugh, I picked it up and took it home to him. When I gave him the gift, he started laughing hysterically. I didn’t understand why until he went to his closet and pulled out a coffee grinder! It turns out he’d bought me one, too — so I could tell him that I loved him more often!”
— Sharlene Smithers, 32, Vancouver, BC