I casually asked, just as a conversation starter on our second date, “So, what don’t I know about you?” and he blurted out, “I’m not quite as ‘divorced’ as I said I was.” Even though he had been separated for 1 1/2 years, the divorce was not final yet. But, I knew I was with a man who could not keep secrets from me.

—Becky

Postscript: We dated 3 1/2 years. The one secret he did keep from me was that, at the end of the day, he really didn’t want to be in a long-term relationship again.

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We drove to the coast on a whim and spent the night on the beach in the back of his car. I woke up dehydrated, morning-breathy, with my contact lenses shriveled, and no makeup. For the first time ever, my happiness to be waking up with someone completely overrode my self-consciousness about my morning appearance. I didn’t know that was possible.

—Autumn

Postscript: We stayed together for two years after that, breaking up when I moved across the country to begin my career. He was the first person I fell in love with, and I him.

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