18 Things Only Love Skeptics (Who Finally Found A Great Relationship) Understand

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1. You occasionally feel like you’re betraying your own kind when you have any sort of lovey-dovey moment. Even when it’s behind closed doors, you can’t help but think that at a different time, you would be making fun of yourself right now.

2. And then you say something to that effect in the middle of the ~moment~, trying to make a joke, and it completely kills the mood.

3. You used to think love was just a tease, and now that you’ve found that it can, in fact, be lasting you kind of want to shout it from the roof tops. But you can’t because, like, you have a certain level of cynic decorum to maintain.

4. You’ve learn that caring too much isn’t always a terrible thing, or something to be afraid of, especially when your affections aren’t misplaced. The right person will never make you feel like you care too much.

5. You can be hesitant about taking risks, but for the first time you realize those risks are, in fact, worth taking. It makes you feel more secure to know that your partner is all in, and willing to take those risks with you.

6. Your misgivings over monogamy are tamed, but they aren’t completely gone. You are still not so sure it’s possible for people to be happy and wholly satisfied by one person for their entire life. But for the first time, you’re with someone who makes you want to try and find out.

7. You are even beginning to encourage your friends to reciprocate feelings when someone is interested in them. You’re convincing them to give someone new a chance, and they are the ones becoming skeptical because the fact that you’re suddenly pro-love is entirely bizarre to them.

8. You would never take the mutual trust in your relationship for granted, because you know exactly how rare it is.

9. Your partner knows that you’re a retired love cynic and they love you for it. (But they also tease you about it endlessly.)

10. When people get married and show up on your Newsfeed you’re scornful and glib just like you always have been, but your insides have a moment of weakness in which they completely melt, and you stop to consider whether they’ll have a summer wedding, and in your mind you’re congratulating them, wishing them a lifetime of endless happiness and — holy hell, what’s gotten into you?

11. You’re comfortable with the boyfriend/girlfriend titles, even if the adjustment period was a little long. You no longer flinch when your SO grabs your hand in public, or look down at your feet when they introduces you as their significant other.

12. You are comfortable enough in your relationship to voice any concerns you still have about long term relationships, but are also less apt to shy away from the concept of having a future together.

13. When you hear people sound just as averse to love as you were, you’re torn between feeling a kinship with them, and wanting to tell them that they might get lucky enough to be proven wrong.

14. You’re still opposed to most love songs. A little Elton John is, of course, acceptable, but other than that, you still wish everyone would pump the brakes on all the ~set the mood~ songs. And like, why is everything picking Ed Sheeran songs for their wedding? Are they trying to make sure that you never want to get married? Because, to be honest, IT’S WORKING.

15. You’d like to be clear: There’s a difference between you and a closeted romantic. A closeted romantic loved love all along. You didn’t. Someone actually had to show up and make you believe that it didn’t suck as much as you thought.

16. As much as you appreciate your partner, and value your relationship, you are never unrealistic about the future. You talk about the future frankly, and optimistically, but you never sugar coat the fact that forever is a long time, and not everything is meant to last.

17. You’re hesitant to post any sort of romantic pictures documenting a nice meal you and your partner shared because you really don’t want to deal with comments from friends saying that they knew all along that you were capable of doing adorable things.

18. While you might have been high and mighty about your anti-love values, your relationship made getting proved wrong completely worth it.