You Don’t Have To Scream “I love you!”

photo credits: madamenoire.com

Three quick tips to veer from the standard “I love you”:

Be willing to go out of your comfort zone. Most couples have things that they’re interested in apart from each other. This, in fact, is encouraged for healthy relationships, or at least that’s what I’ve seen from the happy couples around me. Okay, so he’s not that big on your taste in music—you aren’t really a big fan of his love for R n’ B; but he still sends you links to his favourite songs, so take the time out to check them out because who knows? You might actually find something you’ll like. He’s devastated because the Lakers didn’t make it to the finals? Listen to him bitch about it, especially if he manages to sit through your whining about the last episode of Teen Wolf being crap. Support him at his basketball games. Go to the San Diego Comic Convention together. There will be times when you’ll really have to go out of your way for him, but if he means that much to you, you can show it solidly by showing you care enough about the things that make him happy because they do precisely that: make him happy. Hopefully, he’ll take a page from your book and follow suit, so he’ll be more willing to walk around with you the next time you find out Topshop’s having a sale or that there’s going to be a Gay Pride Parade that you want to help support.

Fuel the addiction—on occasion. No, I am definitely not talking about alcohol or drugs, or anything illegal for that matter. Every boy has his little guilty pleasures and if you’re the kind of woman that likes keeping things (and him) in control, chances are he’s feeling a little bit deprived. Sometimes, it’s good to indulge him with presents that you know he’ll love, like tickets for two to the next concert of his favourite band or helping him save up for a new wide angle lens because he’s developed a new-found interest in photography. Everyone loves presents, but when he knows that you went out of your way to tailor the present for him, it gives him that extra nudge of a reminder that you’re really thinking of him.

Just say it. Girls, we’re not the only ones who feel insecure about the crazy standards for beauty that society sets on us. Seeing us drooling over Chris Hemsworth’s beautiful body makes him feel as crappy as we feel when we catch him staring at Kim Kardashian’s ass. You fell in love with him for many reasons, I’m sure, and if you’ve stuck with him through thick and thin, that means that he’s grown into someone that’s gone just past his looks or his body, and into someone beautiful to you. I use beautiful here because handsome just doesn’t capture it enough, and no, “beautiful” is not just an adjective to be used on females. Compliment him on his efforts at the gym. Remind him that he’s more charming to you than Ryan Gosling is in The Notebook. He’s beautiful to you because he knows how to cheer you up when you’re PMS-ing like crazy, and he holds your hair back after way, way too many shots of tequila without cringing in disgust. Sometimes saying it verbally is the only reinforcement he needs, and it helps when it’s unexpected, like when you’re driving around the city. Take One Direction’s cue and tell him he’s beautiful, too.