After our second date, he canceled a trip back to see his family so we could spend more time together. His mother called to tell him there were plenty more fish in the sea, but only one mother. He replied that there was no one else in the world like me.

—Katherine

Postscript: 3 years later and still going strong.

10

It was love when I was looking for a new home for my cat, because my roommate’s cat was always beating up on mine. He volunteered to take my cat and look after him at his place. The cat now belongs to both of us!

—Annette

Postscript: Aftermath: My cat loves it there, and loves my boyfriend too!

7

After we spent the night together, we couldn’t spend the day together because he “had things to do.” Later that night, we were lying together in his bed, snuggling and reading together, when suddenly he turned off the lights and told me to look up at the ceiling. Glow-in-the-dark stars covered the entire ceiling, spelling out “I love you.”

–Iris

Postscript: He’d spent the whole day working on it! I told him that I loved him too, and we’ve been together ever since.

10

I met him at work and only hardly knew him when I blurted out an incredibly cheeky, low-brow remark. I immediately regretted it, but he laughed heartily. Later I asked him if he had seen the film Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay and he replied by quoting me lines from the film. That’s when I first fell for him.

—irie

Postscript: It didn’t last. I still miss him and feel awful about messing it up. And I still love Harold and Kumar.

4

I was dating someone at the time who had just cheated on me and met him through a mutual friend. During a night of heavy drinking he kissed me and I let him. I told my boyfriend at the time, but we all still hung out together two nights later. That night, I knew it wasn’t just a one night thing when we held hands and it felt so natural. More ended up occurring and I didn’t even regret it one bit. Afterward, we knew it had to be discussed, and ended up talking nonstop for hours.

—Samantha

Postscript: I quickly ditched the cheater and have been incredibly happy with my new guy ever since.

5

I met him at my best friend’s very first tea party about a year ago. I decided to go to the kitchen to make more tea then, out-of-the-blue, this endearing, bearded, blue-eyed gentleman with black framed glasses starts spewing fun facts about squids, the Loch Ness monster and Sasquatch. I laughed so hard my face hurt. Months later, he happened upon my workplace, we swapped numbers and we’ve been inseparable ever since.

—Smitten Kitten

Postscript: We’ve been together for almost four months. I met most of his extended family and he has met mine. We talk about the future now and most of my friends continue to tell me, “He’s the best you’ve ever had.” And I can’t really debate it, it’s true. I have never met anyone who complements me so well. He understands me and takes care of me and surprises me every day. I love him.

10

I had finished nursing school that day and we celebrated by drinking a half a liter of Maker’s Mark bourbon, lounging on my kitchen floor and singing every Tom Waits song we knew.

—Cindy

Postscript: We lasted a couple of weeks more. It was doomed for pretty obvious reasons; you can’t keep that kind of lifestyle up for very long without consequences.

3