Sometimes, you just *know* when you’ve met the right person. Here, smitten people share the exact moment they knew they were dating a keeper.
1. When he showed up on my doorstep with wine in San Francisco after driving 8 hours as a surprise. Somehow he managed to keep it all a secret till he was there. I thought I wasn’t going to get to see him at all that summer. His reason? He just missed me.
NinjaTRex
2. When he explained, in detail, the treehouse he plans to build for me.
Lucy_Fury
3. I was in college, I was working two jobs, 60 hours a week. I met her on OKCupid. She would come over and we would hang out, often we would watch a movie and I would fall asleep exhausted. She would put the covers over me, go downstairs, walk past the front door, through the dining room, the kitchen and into the computer room to say goodbye to my dad.
Every time she left, she made sure to say goodbye to my parents.
Kiklion
4. Watching the new Star Trek movie, she pauses at a critical moment in the film and says, “Who the hell is Khan? Can we watch the other movies so I can find out?”
My inner child nerd high-fived me.
Dirtperv
5. Early on in our relationship I was in and out of sleep one night and he’s awake confessing his love for me to my cat.
I don’t remember everything he said but when I woke up the next morning with our bodies completely entwined with one another with very little space between that’s when I knew. The past five years we’ve been through it all and I wouldn’t trade any of it for anything.
zydrateriot
6. I came home from the bar with 3-4 drunken people at about 3am. This was her apartment and i had just moved in. We woke her up being drunk and rowdy.
She came downstairs, made everyone some food and got beers. Took care of everyone ’til they sobered up or passed out. In the morning after everyone left she said to me. “DON’T YOU EVER BRING ALL THOSE GUYS IN MY HOUSE AT 3AM WITHOUT LETTING ME KNOW YOUR COMING SO I COULD HAVE CLEANED UP”
[deleted]
7. We’d been dating long-distance for a few months, and then one night he surprised me by popping over unexpectedly. I LEAPED out the door and attached myself to him.
Hadn’t really realized how much I needed him before that. He moved in right then, and it’s been the best twelve years of my life since.
Never_ever_right
8. When I realized he’d never broken a promise to me, no matter how big or small. He said he’d be there at three? He’s there at three. He said he’ll take out the trash? It is done.
Crumpette
9. We had been together for almost two years already and I loved him so much already. But I knew when we were in line at Subway and they asked him what kind of bread he liked and he said, “Italian,” paused, looked at me, and whispered “That’s the kind I like, right?”
annathetyrant
10. My boyfriend was an eagle scout who collected rocks when he was little. He had purchased a heart shaped tiger’s eye from Disneyland when he was a tot, and kept it hidden with the intention of gifting it to the girl he was going to marry. One night, when I was almost asleep he asked me if I would want a “promise rock”. This is the first he had mentioned the rock, and in my sleep-talking haze, I didn’t understand and kept repeating, “Promise gravel? How romantic!”
Months later he gave me the rock for Christmas, despite my sleepy sub-conscious being a real kill-joy. It is the single most sentimental object I own and it is a physical symbol of all the incredibly romantic things he has done for me.
Coffeebeancatfish
11. When I pooped her bed.
Was deathly sick, some kind of food poisoning, and had literally no control over anything. Woke up covered in poo, and just said ‘oh my god’ and ran to the bathroom. Came back, and everything was already cleaned up. Fresh sheets, mattress flipped, and she never did anything but make sure I was okay. She’s comfortable enough to clean up my poo? Keeper.
Byramike
12. That she still smiles every time we kiss. Just like the first time, every time. Wouldn’t trade it for anything.
BreathingBeing
13. When we had our talk about the future.
Me: “So, hon… I suppose we should talk about kids.”
Her: “No babies.”
Me: “Deal.”
Marital bliss.
Mattrello
14. She prefers pancakes while I prefer waffles. It was around midnight and I couldn’t sleep so I snuck out to the store and bought a box of pancake mix to surprise her in the morning. I came back, got into bed and nodded off. At one point I felt her get up and heard her go into the bathroom, I passed back out.
We were sitting down to eat breakfast that next morning when I pulled out the pancake mix and said, I know how much you like pancakes so I snuck out last night and got this. She smiled, walked to the freezer and pulled out a box of Eggos while saying, “I don’t have a waffle iron, so I bought these last night.”
That was the moment.
Brian1321
15. When I said, “I think I’m going to to play some Marvel vs Capcom 3 and then maybe run some dungeons in World of Warcraft” and she replied, “Not without me you aren’t.”
Our wedding is in March.
TheDrLegend
16. My mom died unexpectedly when I was 20. I’m 29 now and sometimes still have a really difficult time dealing with the emotions of losing her.
One year right around her birthday, I was feeling pretty blue. I came home from work on her actual birthday and he was standing in the kitchen holding a cake he had baked, complete with a lit candle, and said.”Just because she died doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate that she lived.”
I just sobbed and he held me close until I had cried it out. Then we celebrated her life. Every year since then, he has bought her a birthday card and we light a candle to remember her. He’s an amazing man.
Magg_pye
17. When I realized that I had spent 2 months straight with him, literally every single day, without getting sick of him. I’ve always been super independent and I usually got sick of people quickly. My relationships never lasted more than a few months. We’ve lived together for a little over a year, and I still get butterflies when I come home to him.
Ohlalameow
18. When I realized that wherever he was felt like home.
Streamstroller
19. My older sister came to visit when I first began dating my girlfriend. I had told my girlfriend how close I was to my sister, and how wonderful she was. Previous girlfriends had found my sister threatening because of our closeness. My girlfriend couldn’t come over, due to obligations, until about 10 PM on the evening my sister arrived.
My sister was in the guest room in bed, beneath a mosquito netting (I live in the tropics). When my girlfriend and I walked in the room, she lifted the netting, crawled in next to my sister and gave my sister a big hug, telling her how happy she was to meet her. They have been close ever since, and my girlfriend and I have been married now for 24 years.
Lobido
20. When our first date/coffee date wound up being a 13 hour conversation.
metrognome26
21. After we were together for over a year I awoke one morning feeling stiff and a little sore so I got up to stretch. My back was covered in red lines from her fingernails, and my chest and biceps were spotted with teeth marks. There was a knock on the door so I turned to see her come in with heart shaped pancakes.
[deleted]
22. While we were dating, when my wife saw my guitar in my room, she picked it up and started playing Stairway to Heaven (including the solo).
[deleted]
23. We lived in the same catered hall during Uni (that’s how we met). I’m not a morning person so I’d often sleep through breakfast. I knew I’d found an awesome guy when he woke up early, went to the dining hall and then braved my scary morning moods to bring me hash browns, a juice box and a bacon sandwich in bed. Just because he liked me, no special reason.
[deleted]
24. When I after half a year of us dating, realized that this had been the most drama less and yet still very passionate relationship I have been in. I have a history of very stormy relationships, and came to the realization, that maybe that is how I love.
I have also tried to date guys where my feeling was less strong and found that i pretty soon would loose interest and respect. My current boyfriend, is the most fantastic guy, for many reasons, but he is a keeper because he and I can communicate like mentally healthy people.
CardamomBear
25. When I realized every crazy idea I come up with, no matter how ridiculous, he always says, “Yeah lets do it!” He says this regardless of whether he thinks it will actually happen or not, but always enthusiastic and supportive.
I absolutely love it. Its his support that’s lead us to carry out the crazy whims, we always make travel plans and they take us to some amazing places. It’s his willingness to follow me where I go and respect the things that I do no matter how outlandish that mean the world to me.
HeyImAli
26. When we had a pregnancy scare and I wasn’t scared.
[deleted]
27. The feeling of emptiness when she’s not around.
It’s easy to take your SO for granted when you spend all of your time with them, but I knew she was the one when she left for 8 months. Every minute she was gone felt like half of me was missing. Work sucked, playing video games sucked, watching sports sucked.
Canadian4Paul
28. When, after dating two months, we were walking back to my dorm after a night of drinking heavily and he reached up and grabbed a twig off of a tree and told me I have to keep it forever. Then six months later, his three year old son comes up to me and hands me a twig and tells me the exact same thing. They are two peas in a pod.
mrs_tardis
29. I’ve never been one to wear make-up before, I just wasn’t raised that way (equally unfeminine mother), but I have a lot of insecurity about my appearance.
I brought up wondering if I would look better with make-up.
I expected him, as previous boyfriends I had considered the idea to, to try to dance around saying “you’re right, maybe you would look better, you should try it.” Which invokes feeling like they don’t like how I look already (even if they didn’t mean it that way).
Without missing a beat he said “If you think it would make you happy, you should give it a try.”
Thashary
30. My boyfriend and his family have this little ritual where they squeeze each other’s hand three times to signify ‘I love you’, four times as a return to signify ‘I love you too.’
I didn’t know that he had told me he loved me in this secret family way until after we’d told each other with words how we felt. All that time he’d been telling me he loved me and I was never saying it back because I never knew.
When I found that out I think I realized that this was more than love.
MarinaAquamarina
31. My husband and I met on eHarmony. I let him know from the start that I had a young child and he assured me that he was ok with that. My son was 1 1/2 months old when we met (long story) and, when he came to pick me up on our first date, he brought my son a teddy bear that played music and a pack of cute Valentine’s day bibs.
I thought that was a really sweet gesture. We had an amazing first date and we started dating regularly. He was there for me when I was going through the challenges of being a first time mother, trying to breastfeed and, ultimately, finding out I couldn’t make enough milk to feed my child, and having to put him on formula (I was devastated). For a man I just met, I couldn’t believe he was so willing to help in a situation where most men would turn tail and run. But, that wasn’t the clincher. (continued on the next page…)
One night, he was sitting in the recliner at my parents’ house holding my son and trying to burp him after a feeding. He had him propped up on his shoulder and was speaking to him softly. I don’t think he thought I could hear, but I heard him say “C’mon, little guy. Burp for daddy.”
After the circumstances surrounding how my son came to be, and all that I had been through in the recent months following up to his birth, I felt broken, like no one would ever want me, let alone truly love me AND my child.
I’m happy to say he proved me completely wrong. We’ve been together for almost 5 years, married for over 3 1/2 years, and we’re expecting baby #3.
Lynoctis
32. We were at the movies and the trailers were on. We’d only been dating a few months. Some Borne whatever trailer was on and she slowly leaned into me and whispered in my ear “MATT DAMON!”
freeboater
33. The first time we slept together, I made her breakfast in the morning. She looks over at my xbox and asks me if I want to play Nazi Zombies after breakfast. Wifed her ten months later.
thunderbuns2
34. When she found out about the real me and all my insecurities and flaws and mistakes, then still wanted to be with me.
Shaun_the_Mon
35. Everything felt natural and relaxed from the beginning. No drama, no stress, no worries. Felt like I’d known her forever even though we’d only been together a month or two. Becoming a couple almost instantly because we just were.
domesticsuperpoo
36. It was the second or third time we had sex. I ran outside her house buck naked to throw the condom in the garbage across the street.. came back inside to find her sitting naked on the floor where we left off, eating Pringles.. We laid there all night and talked till morning…thats when I knew.
Ryder_D
37. She asked what the name of my penis was. I told her Luke Skywalker. She gave a fake laugh and said “Lightsaber hahaha.” I said “no, it’s because it’ll split you open, crawl inside you, and stay warm for the night.” Without missing a beat, she replied “Han Solo was the one who cut it open.”
[deleted]
38. I think it was when I had to move a cuddly Star Trek tribble in order to get into bed with her.
That was the moment.
CitrusLizard
39. This sounds stupid but it was when I met his dad. He’d already talked to me at length about how much his dad meant to him, how much he loved and respected him.
And then I met his dad and was like, “This is who my boyfriend is going to become. Wow.”
[deleted]