16 People On The First Time They Ever Fell In Love

1. “I was on a long car ride with my then-boyfriend, and I just felt so happy. The area we were driving through was boring, the music was barely on, and we weren’t talking about anything, but I remember feeling like I had won the lottery to be on a boring road trip with him. We’ve been married for three years now.”

— Krista, 29

2. “In sixth grade, I had a class with this really cute girl with an amazing laugh. Every time she laughed at something, I fell a little more in love. But yeah. I loved her; she had no idea I existed. Some things never change.”

— Sam, 24

3. “I have a really big, loud family, so whenever I invited boyfriends to meet them, I never expected too much because it can be really intimidating the first time. I brought my current boyfriend home for Thanksgiving last year, and he fit in perfectly. The moment I saw him cracking jokes with my dad, I knew I was in love.”

— Jane, 27

4.“We were just friends at the time, but I had just been rejected from this big internship that I had had my heart set on for years, and she stuck by me all night, just trying to cheer me up (and making a complete fool of herself most of the time). By 3am, I realized that I was crazy about her and by 3:10am, I asked her out. It’s been seven years now, and I’m just as madly in love with her now as I was then.”

— Brian, 28

5. “I was at Chipotle and the cashier gave me free guac. I was so overcome with love, I almost cried.”

— Kevin, 21

6.“Last summer, I went to South America for three months as part of a med school internship. My boyfriend dropped me off at the airport, and when it was time for me to go, the thought of not seeing him every day actually broke me. I told him I loved him right there in the airport.”

— Irene, 27

7. “I’ve been in a lot of really casual relationships, purposefully avoiding anything too serious. But when I saw my girlfriend break down crying during The Land Before Time, I knew I was done for. I was in love with her and I was terrified. Love is f*cking terrifying.”

— Joshua, 23

8. “I was at a concert the first time I fell in love. He was onstage and doing these really dorky dance moves. I couldn’t take my eyes off of his gorgeous smile and frosted tips. Oh yeah, I guess I should mention that my first love was Justin Timberlake circa 2000.”

— Sarah, 24

9. “The first time I fell in love was in high school, and he was my boyfriend. We did everything together, and when we broke up I never thought I would feel that way ever again. I sort of still think that’s true, because even though I’ve been in a loving relationship for two years now, it’s a different kind of love. The love I feel now is more stable and less full-body-I-must-see-you-now devotion. I’m not sure which is better.”

— Cameron, 25

10. “My boyfriend really isn’t a very talkative person, but when I saw him light up while talking about his passions (he’s a writer), I was putty in his hands.”

— Hannah, 26

11. “I don’t think I have yet. I’ve been in committed relationships, and I’ve cared very deeply about all of them, but everyone talks about that moment when they realize they fell in love as this struck-by-lightning feeling, and I just don’t think I’ve found that yet.”

— Michael, 27

12. “It was the first time I held my daughter after she was born. I have never, and will never, love anyone as much as I love her.”

— Taylor, 25

13. “I moved across the country for a job, and my girlfriend still had a year of school left. We didn’t have any money to be able to afford cross-country trips to see each other, and it was really hard. We talked all the time, but it just wasn’t the same as actually being there with her. I knew I loved her within a week of missing her so much it hurt. I applied for a transfer back home as soon as I passed my six-month probation.”

— Rosie, 28

14. “My grandfather who I was very close with passed away suddenly, and I pretty much shut down. I was drinking too much, wouldn’t go to class, and pretty much ignored everyone around me. My girlfriend stuck by me through all of it, even though I was being a complete asshole to her. When I finally started to regain control of my life, she was there every step of the way. I proposed three months later.”

— Dave, 32

15. “In high school, this girl offered to give me a blow job in the bathroom. She was the first girl to ever touch my dick, so yeah, I was madly in love with her for the five minutes we were occupied in the handicapped stall. No idea where she is now.”

— Nathan, 27

16. “I guilted my boyfriend into reading my favorite book (it’s not a genre he enjoys very much). When he was about half-way through, I could tell that he wasn’t enjoying it and told him that he didn’t need to finish it, but he insisted on reading to the end and telling me the things that he DID like about it. I think it was just seeing the amount of respect that he had for something I really liked that did it for me. I was in love.”

— Connie, 29