Seriously! I really could use less carbs in my diet. Grand gestures embarrass me (unless the ‘gesture’ is to buy a Rolls Royce and hire a chauffeur). Elaborate surprises usually piss me off. I’d like to know what I’m walking into. My idea of a perfect gift for myself is a book. Or if I’m in the mood to spend and have the resources to, then a holiday.
So, my idea of romance is very non Yash Raj/Dharma types, and more of ‘lets open that wine and fight over who drank more.’ You think I’m weird? Well, you haven’t met my ‘legally wed’ yet.
So I guess it’s clear then that flowers or cakes or surprises aren’t exactly what I call ‘romantic.’ Love is in small gestures you make everyday; in the exceptions you make for each other; in the rhythm you find in your relationship; in the ride, that you’ve taken together. So, on that note, here are some unusual but real AF unromantically romantic ways to say I love you.
1. Say It Everyday (or actually show it)
You – One of the most romantic ways to say I love you, is when you remember to pick up the chips he saw on TV. You know, because he just has to try every new product that’s out in the market.
Him – When he takes a detour on his way back home, just to get your favourite dessert in spite of your grand diet declarations. Because he knows that post dinner you will want it. Diet plans usually fade by night, don’t they?
2. Remind Him/Her Once In A While, Subtly
Nothing says ‘I love you’ more than volunteering to chauffeur him to the office. Yes, it’s peak traffic time, and you will have a lonely and long ride back, but you’ll get to spend time with him. It’s a gift, given how little time you’ve managed to find together.
That love note – Yeah, the note with “don’t eat junk, cut fruit inside blue box” instructions, that you left on the fridge for him, before you left home. It’s one of the most romantic ways to say I love you. To me at least it is. It tells me that this person is thinking of me. Even in his/her busy moments, he has made time to think about me. That note is handwritten, not a short form message over the phone. It’s a gesture, and a romantic one too.
3. Appreciate The Effort
When he clears his calendar, and makes time to take you to watch that god-awful movie because you just have to watch every movie that has your favourite actor in it, no matter how migraine inducing it is. Now that’s a grand expression of love; if this ain’t one of those meaningfully romantic ways to say I love you, then I don’t know what is!
4. Notice The Gestures
You love that ice cream… well, actually you love the top chocolate layer. He lets you eat it (albeit grudgingly). Even while you are biting off the top layer like a starving hunter, you know he is saying that he loves you.
5. The One That Makes You Smile
This one is the best on my ‘non-grand, humble and everyday’ romantic ways to say I love you. When your partner finds the time, midway through an extremely busy and tiresome day, to pull the phone out and send a text that says ‘I love you,’ very few things convey the message as strongly as that. There’s work pressure, calls that need to be made, deadlines that need to be met… and still your receive that one message. Him thinking of you amidst all of that chaos, is in my books (I like reading crime fiction, which probably explains a lot), the most romantic way to say ‘I love you.’
Romance, love, and its expression, are dependent on perspectives. To me it’s in everyday stuff and small gestures, attention to my preferences etc. although I really won’t mind a luxury holiday (note to self – accidentally send this copy to the husband). To some it’s in flowers, cakes and the whole hog. Nothing wrong with it. Just not my style.
Comments