We went on a date, then we laid in the grass and cuddled. I had a feeling I couldn’t place, and it stuck with me for a long time.

Later, an older coworker of mine was losing his battle with cancer, and we got to talking about him and his wife. He said he realized he loved her the first night they went out, when he had this feeling he couldn’t place. I knew then I loved this girl.

—Kevan

Postscript: We moved to Chicago and stayed together for four years. I asked her to marry me. She said, “Yes,” then had two affairs and left me in a Dear John letter.

2

He took me to see The Notebook, and of course I cried through the whole thing. He took me to McDonald’s afterward, and I was crying with a mouthful of a McChicken sandwich. And he didn’t care. He kissed me anyway.

—Megan

Postscript: We dated for a year, and now we’re best friends.

3

We were good friends and both huge Charlie Chaplin fans. I knew I had feelings for him but didn’t know if he felt the same. At the end of his autobiography Chaplin writes about his love for his wife Oona. When he was away at school he sent me a love letter and finished it with the same lines that Chaplin wrote. I was hooked.

— ChaplinFan

Postscript: After about a year it ended badly. But for a while it was incredibly romantic in only the way young, first love can be. No hard feelings now.

3

We were both with other people at the time. We couldn’t hang out much, so we’d often chat online late into the night. One night we stayed up late watching Beauty and the Beast “together” over Youtube. She fell asleep during the ballroom dance scene. I gave her sh** for it, but I fell in love with her for it regardless. 

— Austin

Postscript: We’re nine months into our own now, ready to tackle the challenges of staying together through my forthcoming deployment. I imagine we’ll watch some more movies online together, and she’ll still fall asleep.

4

Since I met her it was as if we’d known eachother our whole lives.

— Dan

Postscript: We remain friends. I’m hopeful it will return to what it was.

2

After struggling through multiple horrible jobs he saw my frustration and told me to quit and come and work for him in the new business he started.

— Turtledove

Postscript: Two and a half years later we are happier than ever.

1

I was interested in this guy at work. I was the bar manager and he was a bartender so we did inventory together. One night after coming upstairs from the office he surprised me by setting up a table in the restaurant with candles and some great Italian food and wine glasses that had water in them.

— Gina

Postscript: After two years of dating we got married.

7