Back in December, I asked 30 men about the moment they realized they were in love, and it was so full of adorableness and *feeeeelsssss* that I wanted to get a dose of cute all over again! This time, I decided to ask couples about the individual moment they felt the big L word for their partner. Prepare for heart explosions.
1. KEVIN AND ANA
“Frankly, I knew three dates in. I got home after dropping her off and immediately missed her. And most people who know me would classify me as classic Lone Wolf, so to feel so strongly about being with someone was different.” — Kevin, 25
“About a month or so into dating, we both got really ridiculously drunk together. But before we passed out, he made sure I drank a ton of water and popped an Advil. It was such a sincere moment of him caring how I was going to feel the next morning. I don’t know, it might sound silly, but I just realized how important he was to me.” — Ana, 23
2. DAVID AND LIZZY
“It was definitely the night I brought Lizzy to meet my parents for the first time. Just having her in my childhood home, chatting with my family with such ease, and just taking that next step in our relationship so comfortably was huge. I told her I loved her before we went to bed.” — David, 24
“I think it was meeting David’s family. You know that feeling when everything just fits? And it’s almost like you’ve known people all along? That’s how I felt. Things felt right.” — Lizzy, 24
3. NATE AND KIT
“Nothing overly dramatic, really. I just woke up one morning and saw her next to me sleeping and I was happy. Seeing her made me happy.” — Nate, 22
“It’s actually pretty well known (at least amongst my social circle) that I’d been crushing on Nate for a loooong time. So I already had this lofty idea of him and being in love from a far. But once we ACTUALLY started dating and I saw our individual moments of weakness, flaws, insecurities, etc., I realized how real it was. He wasn’t just this dude I daydreamed about. We were in something real.” — Kit, 23
4. DAVE AND JESS
“God, this is going to make me sound way too soft, but probably the first time we slept together. It felt different than the sex I’d had in the past. Really different.” — Dave, 21
“I had this incredibly shitty day. It was one of those EVERYTHING IS THE WORST feelings, and I was venting to Dave. He just listened. He didn’t try to fix it or invalidate how I was feeling. He just listened. And it’s exactly what I needed and a reminder how appreciative I was/am for him.” — Jess, 20
5. TY AND AUTUMN
“A case of food poisoning hit me while we were hanging out. I was so sick, and felt really embarrassed that this was happening while she was with me, but she was incredible. She just took care of me the whole night. That was it. I knew I wanted her in my life always.” — Ty, 23
“It was the first time he cried in front of me. Of all things, we were watching Marley & Me together and we were both just a puddle of waterworks. But there was something so special about that vulnerability. He wasn’t trying to front or act like some tough dude. And I just knew I loved him.” — Autumn, 25
6. KATE AND KAI
“We just laughed all night long. Honestly, I don’t think we slept more than 3 hours. And I woke up the next day with sore ribcages because she seriously had me in stitches. I thought, anyone who can make me that happy and be that silly is the one for me.” — Kate, 24
“There was this one night we barely slept because we were goofing off the whole time. We didn’t even have sex that night, we just joked around the whole time. It felt like I was with someone I could finally be 100% myself with. And I’d never felt like that before.” — Kai, 27
7. BEN AND KRISTI
“At the risk of sounding like some lame romance novel, I knew I loved her since day one. It just got deeper from there on out.” — Ben, 26
“We met in college and there are a thousand moments that I could point to and say: ‘Oh, this was it!’ But I think most importantly, we have always allowed each other to grow and experience new things. Every single time I want to broaden my horizons a bit and I verbalize something I’m interested in undertaking, his response is positive and encouraging. I love that about him.” — Kristi, 24
8. DERICK AND FIONA
“She beat me in Super Smash Bros and did this little victory dance. After that moment, I was all in.” — Derick, 23
“I think it was our 5th date or so, I made some realllyyyy weird joke and he could not stop laughing. It was just like: Oh wow, he actually gets me.” — Fiona, 22
9. CHRIS AND MARISSA
“I willingly went to a One Direction concert because she loves them. Either I’d just had a stroke or I genuinely loved this girl.” — Chris, 24
“Well, he went to a One Direction concert with me. Without complaining. Once.” — Marissa, 22
10. JEFF AND ALEX
“He always holds my hand, even though I sweat like a dude on the Maury show waiting to find out if he is, in fact, the father.” — Jeff, 25
“We ordered pizza, ate far too much, and with our bloated bellies sticking out, completely zoned out and watched Netflix for hours on end. I knew I had finally found the love of my life.” — Alex, 27
11. LIAM AND NATASHA
“We did karaoke to The Lonely Island together. It was a perfect night.” — Liam, 25
“I knew the first time he kissed me. I mean, I didn’t want to admit it because that sounds so cheeseball. But I knew it. I didn’t sleep that whole night. I just kept replaying our kiss.” — Natasha, 23
12. GRIFF AND ANTON
“When my mother died, Anton was there for me every step of the way. Even though he didn’t understand my specific grief, he was there. And it was the best comfort. I don’t think he even realizes how much he got me through that incredibly dark time. But I’m so thankful for his love.” — Griff, 28
“I remember when Griff’s mother died, my heart felt so broken not only from losing her, but from seeing his immense pain. It was one of those life-altering moments that I realized I would instantly trade places and take his pain, if I could. I never wanted to see him like that. But more so, I never wanted him to face that kind of thing alone.” — Anton, 26 
