1. When they’re upset, so are you. You’ve actually cried tears over something that didn’t involve you at all, because you hated that they were going through pain. You hated seeing them like that.

2. Sometimes, you turn to talk to them when they aren’t actually there. You’re so used to having them at your side. It feels weird when they’re not out with you.

3. You don’t even have to refer to them by name anymore. If you tell your friends that he/she bought you flowers or that we went to the city, they know exactly what you mean. There’s no other person you could be referring to, except them.

4. If you say I love you and then don’t say it or text it back, you don’t freak out. You know that they love you. They say it enough. They don’t have to repeat it every time that you do.

5. You already refer to their parents as your mother-in-law and father-in-law, and to their pets as your kids.

6. You have a million nicknames and code words. If you let someone read through your text messages, they wouldn’t even understand what you two have been saying, because there are so many inside jokes and made-up words.

7. If you’re at a party or a BBQ, you know exactly what to put on their plate and how much to put on their plate. You’re used to their eating habits.

8. When you tell them a story about one of your friends, you don’t have to explain which one it is. They know all of your friends’ names by now (and even the names of the boys your friends have been seeing).

9. Your phone is filled with selfies that you could never post on social media, because they’re blurry (or indecent).

10. When they’re on the phone with one of their friends or their mother, you always get put on the phone, too. Or you at least yell hello to them from wherever you’re sitting.

11. You know their schedule like the back of your hand. When they wake up. When they have to be at work. When they’re free to see their friends. You know it all.

12. You want to spend time with them, even if you don’t have any exciting plans. Even if you’re just going to end up sitting on the couch and eating chips. Even if you’re on your period and aren’t in the mood to see anyone else but them.

13. You share everything that you own. Your closets. Your blankets. Your sweatshirts. Your leftovers. What’s yours is theirs and vice versa.

14. You know which shows you can watch without them and which shows you should wait to watch with them. And when they get up to use the bathroom, you know when they want you to pause the television and when they want you to let it keep running. You don’t even have to ask.

15. Even though you’re used to them, there are some moments when you look at them and can’t believe that you’ve gotten so lucky. You can’t believe that they’re actually yours.

16. You casually talk about what kind of music you’d play during your first dance and what city you’d want to fly to on your honeymoon, and the conversation doesn’t scare you at all. You both know you’re going to be together forever.