She wasn’t that into me because I talked with all the adults while all the kids played bocce ball at a dinner party. That night I sent her a Facebook message asking her out to coffee the next day, which turned into her inviting me over. That night was our first movie, our first kiss, and our first sleepover. The rest is history.

—Reed

Postscript: We’ve been dating for almost 10 months now, most of which was long distance between Seattle and Chicago. But we’re definitely in love: She came with me to Lafayette, Louisiana, while I did research for my history thesis! That’s what I call commitment.

2

I had a mental debate in my head over whether I should or shouldn’t be in love with a certain person. After a week or so of thinking about it very hard, I decided that I should be.

—Jim

Postscript: Thinking too hard worked against me later in this matter.

0

I was with someone else at the time, but we had been flirting back and forth via text for a couple of months. I was trying to decide if I should leave my current boyfriend and didn’t think that I could go through with it until he told me that if I took the leap of faith, he’d be there to catch me.

—Robyn

Postscript: One day out of the blue, after almost two years together, he decided he didn’t want to be with me anymore for some still-unknown reason, and we now rarely speak.

1

She was studying abroad in Europe, and I suddenly realized that I couldn’t wait to talk to her online, to communicate in any way possible, because I wanted to feel that connection. At that moment, being with her felt more right than anything else in the world.

—AG

Postscript: We’ve been dating for more than a year!

1

I saw him playing football “tackle” and “fumble” with his 18-month-old nephew for the first time.

—S

Postscript: We’ve been dating for a year, and it’s going really well.

1

I decided that I would wear a zebra cowboy hat and bring 20 balloons with me to my friend’s 21st birthday party. As I was walking to the party, she yelled from her fifth-story window “Hey, you with the balloons! Can I have one?” I told her she could have one only if she came down and talked to me.

—Balloon Boy

Postscript: I got her to come to the party with me, and we have been dating ever since.

1

One of my fraternity brothers was interested in her, and I promised him I wouldn’t interfere. Rather surreptitiously, I rationalized that as not initiating any romance with her. So when she started flirting, how could I resist?

—Casey

Postscript: We’ve been dating for two years and three months, and we’re happier than ever. It took a while, but eventually the fraternity brother and I stopped exchanging feral glances—I think.

1