Apparently it’s crazy to actually expect romance to happen these days. We’re supposed to settle for confusing text messages and Netflix nights and be glad about it. But I don’t think it’s weird to want some magic in your love life —actually, I expect it. Here’s why I refuse to settle and I’m holding out for a fairy tale romance:
- I know it exists. At 18, I fell in love for the first time. It was an amazing experience that’s nice to look back on, no matter how badly it ended. If it happened once, it can definitely happen again.
- Romance can be small. My first BF did sweet things for me on a daily basis, but they were never insanely expensive or massive gestures. Romance can be an inside joke, a compliment scrawled on a coffee cup, a last-minute fast food dinner. When you look at it like that, who’s to say you shouldn’t expect romance?
- Hook-ups are boring. They’re just not for me. It’s so much better to feel like someone values you for more than just your body.
- Settling is for losers. I’ve watched too many friends allow themselves to get treated like crap by guys to ever be OK with settling. I want more than a mediocre connection or someone who’s good enough. I want someone who is amazing, period.
- Youth doesn’t last forever. Why would I spend my 20s thinking that romance isn’t possible? That’s a pretty depressing way to live. I know that being young won’t last forever and so I don’t want to waste my time with someone who’s too lame to put some effort into a relationship.
- The way we date is lame. Thinking that you can blow off a first date because there’s a million more people living in your phone or judging someone based on their height or job is stupid. I hate the way we date and am waiting for someone who understands the importance of trying.
- It won’t look like the movies. And that’s perfectly fine with me. I don’t want to kiss in the rain or be chased through the airport. I want honest conversation and emotions and reality. Those things can be romantic, too.
- I want someone who makes the boring fun. You know you’ve stuck boyfriend gold when you can grocery shop or just lie around doing nothing and it’s still the most fun you’ve ever had in your life.
- Nothing in life is easy. So why should waiting for the right guy be? I can handle my lowest moments when I wonder if I’ll ever find someone when I remember that love is something that’s worth the wait. Future me would hate if I accepted a second date just because the guy offered, but I wasn’t feeling it.
- I’m worth it. Not to sound like a makeup commercial or anything, but I’m a good person. I’m smart, funny, I have my own career and my own life. I deserve a real boyfriend, and that’s one fairy tale I’m hoping won’t take forever to come true.
