Story Time: How I Knew I Loved Them

Valentine’s Day. February 14th. For some, this day signals a suddenly empty wallet as corporations become the epitome of evil with their overpriced chocolates and bizzare heart-shaped pillows. For others it is a reason to repeatedly remind everyone how acts of love and appreciation should be shown throughout the year, and not just on one particular day. While for some this day signals the opportunity for an excuse to drop everything and remember to dedicate complete warmth and appreciation to their partners.

The topic of love is a heavy one, whether it’s romantic, familial, or platonic. That said, stories of love are incredible and somehow always manage to make us feel safe and hopeful. Today, we’ll focus on one type: romantic love. So, grab a mug of hot chocolate, some fuzzy blankets and indulge yourself in the world that Hollywood has made millions off of—the world of romance and the world of complex humanity.

Age - 21

I don’t have an especially exciting story for falling in love—I always thought that the moment would be a big, life-altering change when I would find that I wanted to be with my special someone forevermore. Don’t get me wrong, the real situation was still special, but in a much more chill kind of way. Rather than falling head over heels or having some grand moment of wanting to spend the rest of my life with my partner, I instead came to the simple but happy realization that I didn’t want to spend my life with anyone else.

Age - 22

We were in my residence room—it was snowing big, fluffy flakes outside and he had just happened to put on Otis Redding’s “White Christmas.” He saw how mesmerized by the snow I was, so came and sat behind me on my bed, pulling me in close. We listened to the music and watched the snow come down in contented silence. Those two minutes were some of the most peaceful I’ve ever had—it was in that moment I knew I loved him. It’s funny because we said I love you really early on in the relationship, and to a degree I think it was premature, we were still growing into our love for one another. But this moment, where we could be so content being with one another in silence—me watching the snow, listening to music he loved—it was so easy. We could just come together, appreciate one another for who we were and what we loved, and find happiness in the simplest things with each other.

Age - 22

As the snow falls, and the day becomes anew. The girl of mine loves the snowflakes more than the world could ever know. But I know. I understand. I find myself entering her room, and she is dressed to go outside. Not to walk or to shop, but to play in the snow. Such an honest and youthful idea. As we lay in the fortress of snow, built by our own two hands, I laugh with her. I realize she is the most perfect person on this planet, and no one else could make me feel this authentic. I know I love her.

Age - 21

I knew that he loved me and that I loved him almost within the exact same moment. We were standing in my bedroom one day just talking. I think I was looking in the mirror getting ready to go out and something he said made me turn to look at him. In that moment there was something about the look in his eyes—how warm they were and how he was looking at me—that made me think, “This boy loves me.” I knew it instantly without him having to say a single word and in the next moment I knew that I loved him too. Before then I knew that I cared for him deeply, but it wasn’t until I knew that he loved me that I fully allowed myself to acknowledge those feelings within me as well.

Age - 23

You know in the movies how they show a scene when the couple first meet and it's like the world slows down for just a moment? Well, I never thought that was real until it happened to me. It happened in this big auditorium as I was fixing a projector for an exhibition my team and I developed and were preparing to open up to the public. I heard someone walk in and start talking to one of my teammates and friend. It was just the three of us in there at the time, and as my back was still towards them, my friend introduced the person who walked in. I turned around and honestly it happened... I felt shook. I remember her asking me if I wanted coffee and all I could muster out was a “no.” It was the closest thing to love at first sight that I've ever come across, movie or real life. And I knew that at that moment we both felt that together. Obviously, a part of me didn’t know what this was going to turn into, but I do think another part of me actually knew that this was the girl for me. Later, while we were on a date, I remember looking into her eyes with the same feeling I had the first time I looked at her in the auditorium. It was as if I did fall in love at first sight but didn’t fully realize it until that moment.

Age - 23

I could write about hundreds of moments when I realized I was in love with him. He is my favourite person in the world, and I count myself lucky everyday. The moment that stands out most was shortly before we properly moved in together. He was spending the night, cooking us dinner at the stove, listening to music and dancing wildly. He turned to me and smiled his big, wonderful grin, and I knew it was love.

Age - 21

She came out of nowhere—a blip on a radar that I was not expecting. I had never been in love, nor did I fully understand the concept of actually falling in love. Of course, I knew of love stories—love conquering all obstacles, tales of time about true love etc.—but I was hesitant of the concept, until her. She's the type of person who sees the good in everyone and everything. A room was always brighter with her in it. But the real moment I knew I loved her was when I got excited to go grocery shopping with her. Simple, exciting, and beautiful. That’s the type of person she is; she's the only person that makes grocery shopping fun. I fell in love with a girl that made something I hated into one of my favourite things in the world and that's how I knew I loved her.

Age - 23

I think it was puppy love from the start but what made me realize how much I loved him, and I guess also recognize how he felt about me, was when we started dating long-distance. At first we broke up because we thought it would be too hard, but after one semester apart neither of us had moved on. Even though I was heartbroken, I’m quite glad we had this time apart. Now I know we both love each other enough to make it work.

Age - 20

As friends, we loved to watch romantic comedies and had a challenge to write our own after seeing so many. I would write scenes that made me smile and warm, but soon realized that they were scenes of us that actually happened! I knew I loved them because I had the most perfect rom-com romance I could ever ask for.

Age - 22

I still think meeting my partner was as close to love at first sight as it can get in this modern world. Obviously, we grew closer together and got to know each other in the time after our initial meeting, but in that very first moment something happened when I saw her. It was this feeling of “this person is special.” Some time later, after we officially began dating I think my next “aha” moment (or as close as you can get to one) was the first time I visited her hometown to spend the weekend with her family. At that point I had already started questioning if I maybe loved this person. I began asking friends who had been in long-term relationships before for “signs” as if they could give me some kind of “if you’re seeing pink, you’re in love” answer. It was that one evening, after all the family celebrations came to an end and we finally had a moment to ourselves to nurse our food babies, I found myself in her arms. I looked up and suddenly just gawked in awe. This perfect human was holding me so tight and so close to her with the lightest smile on her face. In that moment I wanted to be nowhere else. I couldn’t believe how happy, content, safe and at home I felt… that’s when I for sure knew; this was my moment of “seeing pink.” Over a year later, I’m still seeing pink, more intense every day.

Age - 21

I don’t know if there was a specific point in time when I realized I loved him. It was a long journey, years in the making really. We were friends for years before we got together; he knew me better than almost anyone and was always there for me. He was the first person I came out to, he encouraged me to explore my gender identity, expression, pronouns, and when the time came, my physical transition. I will always be grateful for the safe space he created for me during my transitional journey and forever thankful that I have fallen in love with someone that will love me no matter what I look like. He has given me the same love and support through my mental health journey. When I was at my lowest point, he was patient with me, helped me do the little things I wasn’t capable of doing anymore, and gave me the time and assistance I needed to figure myself out. I love him for so many reasons. He’s unnecessarily nice, listens more than he speaks, and always goes out of his way to help me. Don’t tell him this, but he makes me laugh every day. I can’t imagine sharing my life with anyone else.

Age - 25

It's the way he looks at me when he does anything—cooks me dinner, talks to his mum, plays music... ESPECIALLY when he plays music. It's like he's checking in, but always subconsciously, and it comes from a place of "we're together in this" rather than a place of anxiety. He hasn't stopped looking at me like that since we were best friends in high school.

Age - 21

I knew I loved him first when his eyes twinkled with the hope of us. When he looked at me like I've never been able to look at myself. When he started telling me the things I would never notice for myself. I knew I loved him when he made me see those things myself. When I started to notice more of those little things that always existed in me. When he stopped saying those little things because he noticed I was finally able to embrace them. I first knew I loved him when he helped me love me first.

Age - 21

There was never really a “moment” I knew I loved my girlfriend, it was just a gradual progression from the very first day I met her. She completes me as a person, I couldn’t be any luckier.

Age - 22

He was my best friend and the most supportive person imaginable through the hardest time of my life. I was ranting to him about how other people who had been trying to help me out, though most of them well-intentioned, kind of sucked. I had people who disappeared, people who gave way too much unsolicited advice, and people who acted like they knew what was best for me. I told him that all I needed was someone to listen—not to respond, but to truly hear me. Someone to be present when I needed them and to respect my space when I didn't. Someone who didn't treat me like I was broken... and all he said was "deal." It may seem like nothing, but it was exactly what I needed to hear. He always said the right thing. He had always been the person I was describing. In that moment, I realized that he had always been the person I loved. We've since started dating, and he hasn't once let me down on that deal.