1.. “Even when we argued, an hour and a half later something would happen and he’d be the first person I wanted to tell.” —Tara, 25
1. “I love my alone time, and when I didn’t mind that he was constantly at my place, and actually became sad when he left, that’s when I thought I was falling for him.” —Maria, 23
3. “We had a lot of the same interests and enjoyed spending time together. There was no drama and it basically felt like ‘friends with benefits.’ We’re best friends, and we love each other because of that.” —Jaqueline, 25
4. “I was moving to my new apartment and we had to put my kitchen table together. She was completely clueless with any and every tool, and could barely understand the instructions, but she saw that I had other stuff to worry about, and tried really hard. Somehow she managed to put it together all by herself. Sounds stupid, but I was like damn, I love this girl.” —Josh, 25
5. “When my family dog died he sent flowers to my parent’s house. So not only was he there to comfort me, but he even reached out to my family. Just the effort to show he was thinking about them was what made me realize how great of a guy he really was.” —Francesca, 24
6. “I wasn’t attracted to him at first, and when he asked me out I flat out rejected him, which didn’t stop him from asking me out again, and again…and again. He was relentless. So when I finally gave him a chance I wasn’t blinded by pure attraction, I was just getting to know him for who he was, and eventually I began to love him for just that.” —Lori, 23
7. “She gets totally weird with me, like bizarre behavior, but I love it. It shows she’s not afraid to be herself around me.” —Matt, 27
8. “She slept with me on the first date, and I usually don’t look to have serious relationships with girls who do that, but she made me want to get to know her more. I think because I only experienced her physically (and really enjoyed it) I wanted to get to know her emotionally. Eventually I realized the reason she slept with me on the first date was because she was confident in what she wanted. That’s when I started falling for her, when she showed me she knew what she wanted and she wasn’t scared to go after it.” —Rob, 25
9. “I don’t really know if there was an exact moment. I just know that I would put him before myself when he really needed me.” —Jay, 26
10. “I said it to him for the first time by accident. I had just gotten off the phone with my mom, and I usually say, ‘I love you,’ when I say goodbye. When I called him right after her, I did the same thing, but I had never said it to him before. I hung up immediately because I felt stupid, but when I actually thought about it I was like maybe I do love him, and I did.” —Elizabeth, 27
11. “I’m really close with my family, and after the first time she met them they couldn’t stop talking about her (in a good way). My mom would call and ask how my girlfriend was before she’d ask about me. It was cool to see that she meshed so well with the people who mattered to me most.” —Nate, 24
12. “He made me feel good about myself, and it was more than just being happy when I was with him. He motivated me to do things, and in a way that I felt I could actually do them. When someone else believes in you it means a lot.” —Alice, 25 
