My partner has never been the romantic type, but he does so many unromantic things that are actually more swoon-worthy to me than an expensive candlelit dinner could ever be.
- He works a lot. He’s literally almost never home because he works so much. He’s definitely a workaholic, but he also does it so that we can be OK financially. Even though it sucks that I don’t see him often, I love him for it because it shows me how much he cares. The fact that he’s so motivated to do whatever it takes to make sure we can pay our bills is totally romantic.
- He makes it possible for me to stay at home with our kids. Another reason he works so much is so I can stay home. After my first child, I had a hard time being away from my baby when I went back to work and he fully supported me when I wanted to quit. I never thought I’d ever want to be a stay-at-home mom, so the fact that he’s flexible and is willing to work his butt off to make it possible shows me that he really must love me.
- He pays my student loans without complaint. Because I don’t have an income anymore, my partner offered to help me pay my student loans off. I don’t like it since I don’t think it’s fair for him to do that, but he insists. It shows me just how much he wants to take care of me if he’s willing to pay off my debt. Very romantic.
- He always talks to me before making financial decisions. I’m never in the dark about any big or small purchases even though I’m not the breadwinner. He always includes me in money decisions and it makes me feel like we’re teammates. It’s extremely unromantically romantic.
- He takes care of my car. He rotates my summer and winter tires for me. My oil is always changed on time thanks to him, and he has it repaired when needed so I don’t have to worry about it. The fact that he does this for me really shows me how much he cares.
- He pops my pimples. It’s not just the big things he does, it’s the little ones too. My flaws aren’t appalling to my partner, including physical ones like pimples. He’ll pop any hard to reach zits for me, even those in unflattering places and he isn’t grossed out by it, and I do the same for him. If you can pop each other’s pimples, that’s real romance.
- He gets me food when I crave something. Whenever I want something specific to eat, my partner is willing to go out to get it for me even if it’s late at night and he’s tired. Nothing gets to my heart more than food does, and it must mean he cares if he’ll go out of his way like that to make me happy.
- He tells me about his guy conversations. He’ll show me the latest meme he received from his guy friends at work even if it includes half-naked women, or he’ll tell me about some inside joke he and his friends have when it’s pretty inappropriate. I love it because he can be completely himself around me. That level of comfort is romantic because it shows me how much he trusts me.
- He encourages me to hang out with friends by myself. He trusts me completely and loves when I have the chance to go hang out with my friends, which doesn’t happen too often because we have young children. He wants me to be happy and fulfilled, and that says more than any grand romantic gesture does.
- He puts up with my crazy. I have anxiety along with germaphobia that makes me act insane sometimes. I also worry constantly about every little thing. My partner loves me regardless of all of it. I appreciate that he accepts me for who I am. It’s the best kind of romance.
- He still wants to be with me even though he’s seen me at my worst. For example, one time when we first started dating, I got an unexplained rash that covered most of my body and he didn’t run away screaming. He’s also seen everything while I’ve given birth multiple times and still wants to have sex with me. These types of things show his love for me more than anything else could.
