Love should be gentle. Your partner shouldn’t treat you with disrespect, even when they’re angry with you, even when they’re in the middle of a heated argument with you, even when they cannot stand to look at you. Your partner should value you during your good and bad moments. They shouldn’t pick and choose when they are going to show their sweet side and when they are going to treat you like the enemy. You should consider yourselves a team at all times because your relationship is a two-person effort. When problems arise, you should want to come to a compromise, to fix whatever is broken, to discover a solution that will make you both happy in the end. You should want to come out stronger, not weaker.
Love should be gentle. Your partner shouldn’t push you into doing anything that makes you uncomfortable, whether it’s in the bedroom or in a social situation. They should respect your boundaries. They should understand the meaning of no without you having to repeat yourself. Your partner should consider your opinions and your emotions valid, even when they cannot understand your side, even when they strongly disagree. Your partner should know how strong and intelligent you are and trust you to make your own decisions. They shouldn’t assume they know better. They shouldn’t assume their decision is the right one. They shouldn’t want you to be a clone of them. They should give you room to express yourself.
Love should be gentle. Your partner shouldn’t make you feel bad about yourself for any reason. They shouldn’t criticize your weight or your appearance or your personality. They shouldn’t make cruel comments in order to put you in your place. They shouldn’t manipulate you into doing what they want without question. They should treat you like a treasure. They should be thankful to have you in their life. They should give you compliments and shower you with attention. They should make you feel like the most beautiful person in every single room. They should make it clear they’re madly in love with you every single day.
Love should be gentle. Your partner shouldn’t allow the relationship to become one-sided. They shouldn’t expect you to give them everything they want on a silver platter while you’re begging for the slightest bit of affection. They shouldn’t be excited about having more power. They should consider you an equal. They should give as much as they receive. They should put in constant effort to make you smile, to bring you as much joy as you bring them. They should appreciate everything you do for them and make sure they vocalize those feelings. They should never leave you wondering whether they care, whether they’re paying attention, whether they’re excited to come home to you.
Love should be gentle. Your partner should put in the work to make you happy — and you should do the same. You should treat each other as priorities. You should do whatever you can to keep the relationship strong. 
