One of her favorite ways to express how much she loves me is by giving me small unexpected presents. Her second favorite way is through acts of kindness. Occasionally, she’ll stop at my favorite cookie shop on her way home from work and pick up a few cookies to share. When she sees that I am out of socks or undershirts, she’ll pick up a package as a surprise. She tries to cook some of my favorite meals, occasionally. She listens to my stories about video games or shows that she’s not personally invested in. She’ll wash and fold my clothes so I don’t ever run out, because I hate doing laundry. When she knows I am about to have a hard day, She’ll wake up early and make me a strong cup of coffee and something hearty for breakfast, or an energy drink. Sometimes she’ll sneak home early and pick up our place. She’ll pick up the mail so I don’t have to. On holidays, She gets me some lingerie that she knows I’ll like. Sometimes, when She’s feeling really lovey, she’ll write a message on the mirror with her lipstick – or hide a handwritten note for me. She encourages me to regularly spend a few hours a night playing my favorite video games, and sometimes she’ll watch me play so she can understand what I talk about. She puts my towel in the dryer while I am in the shower so that it will be warm when I get out. She makes a mental note anytime I mention liking something, so she always knows what to get me.
I try as often as I can to pick up little presents for me from the store, and sometimes I surprise her with a bouquet of flowers. I nearly always takes out the trash and do the dishes, which is great because she can’t stand the smell of food gone bad. When she asks, I’ll clean out the fridge without grumbling. I text her “I love you” and other messages throughout the day unless she is busy, and have every single day for the past years. Whenever something goes wrong with her car I always try to make it my priority that she is taken care of. I let her pick out the TV shows most of the time. I try to read books that she really likes, so we can talk about them together. I kiss her every day before I leave for work and as soon as she gets home from work. I genuinely says thank you when she cooks dinner. I am always the one who goes outside to pick up the take out so she doesn’t have to put on pants or go out in the cold. When she has to work on the weekend, I try my best to make her feel comfortable when she gets home. I tell her she is beautiful/sexy frequently. Sometimes I’ll give her the sacred first bite of the dish I ordered when we go out to eat. I grab her hand and hold on tight when we go out in public. I take walks with her.
These are some things that we do for each other that have made our relationship work. Like every couple, we have our ups and downs; these small acts go a long way during the downs, and make the ups even better than they would otherwise be.