We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us the small things they do with their partners to show each other they care. Here are some of the sweetest ways...
1. Period care.
"The first day of my period is always horrendous and EVERY month he makes me a hot water bottle and runs me a bath to make me feel better."
2. Stay-at-home dates.
"My favourite moments are when we both put away the technology and have dates at home. We’ll watch stupid movies, and once she made me a Doctor Who-themed dinner of fish fingers and custard, and then suggested we roast adipose marshmallows. I'm a lucky lady!"
3. Book club for two.
"Whenever I’m reading a new book, he starts reading it too in secret, just in case it's one that particularly makes me laugh or cry... He still thinks I don’t know, but he has read every book that I've read since we got together our freshman year of high school."
4. Joint playlist.
"We have a Spotify playlist and we add songs that replicate how we’re feeling towards each other. Some are songs we heard in the car while cruising around during the summer, some are lovey-dovey songs, some reflect our anger, but all show each other how much we care."
5. Silent communication.
"If we’re out in public or with friends, my husband and I do three taps while holding hands just to say ‘I love you’ without anyone else hearing."
6. Daily games.
"We have a game of 8 ball pool on our phones every morning, with the loser making tea and toast. I usually lose."
7. Rides home.
"I have a long commute to and from work which means I’m always home late. My partner always meets me at the train station in the car to spare me the bus journey home, even though it means coming back into town after he’s gone home. It makes all the difference to me."
—hjj2
8. Little messages.
"Every morning before we go to work, I slip a note into his lunch bag, telling him how much I love him and that I hope he has a good day. He in turn texts me randomly during the day. Getting those random 'I love you' texts are the best part of my day - I never know when to expect them, and they instantly put me in a happy mood."
—Shelby Smith, Facebook
9. Emergency Gummi Bears.
"We’ve been together 11 years and married for three… and I just found out that he keeps a bag of Gummi Bears (my favourite comfort food) on him AT ALL TIMES in case I feel sick or sad."
10. Warm towels.
"I detest the mornings and my boyfriend is the definition of a morning person. When I shower in the AM he tries to make it a little better by throwing my towel in the dryer 'til right before I turn the shower off. He has the timing down perfect and there is a super warm towel hanging and ready for me when I get out. It’s such a simple thing but it means the world to me."
11. Mental health days.
"I have manic depression. When I’m having a bad day, my husband sets me up in bed with Gossip Girl, loads of food, and unlimited comfort."
12. Tea prep.
"Every morning he will put a teabag and a spoonful of sugar in my mug, and leave enough water in the kettle so I can make myself some tea as soon as I wake up - usually alongside a note telling me that he loves me."
13. Allergy protection.
"I’m allergic to mosquitoes. My fiancé puts mosquito repellent coils outside every night so I don’t get bitten."
14. Morning routines.
"I’m differently-abled and every morning my partner is with me (he gets up way earlier than I do) he listens for my alarm, comes and gives me a cuddle to wake up, helps me get dressed, and then makes me a cup of coffee and some toast. It’s our little routine and it makes me feel so loved."
15. Fist bumps.
"We fist bump! If we’re proud of each other, find something funny, both think the same thing at the same time, think about how much we love each other, or even if we argue and get bored of fighting, it’s ‘boom, fist bump time’. That’s not a euphemism, we genuinely just bump fists! It’s just a little sign of what a great team we are, and shows that he’s my buddy and teammate forever."
16. Paper cranes.
"My girl and I have been together for a while. In seventh grade (we’re in our senior year of college) I started making paper cranes to help with my anxiety. Every time she’s sad I make her a crane and we put it on the ceiling of our apartment. We’ve got around 600 at this point. We’re planning to get married in a few years and I’m going to make a thousand and put them all over the house to remind her to always try to be happy."
17. Remembering cutlery.
"My boyfriend used to make fun of me because I don’t like eating pizza with my hands. After two years, he always remembers and asks for a fork for me at restaurants."
18. Hair help.
"My wife parts my hair in the morning because I can’t get it right."
19. Weekly phone calls.
"Me and my girlfriend are in a long distance relationship. It might not seem like much, but we set aside an hour every Monday night to call one another. It’s easy to forget to make time for each other when you’re far away, so having our Monday night phone calls remind me that we’re both working hard to be with each other."
21. Back rubs.
"No matter how tired I am, I’ve always had a hard time falling asleep. So when I was little, my mom would rub my back to help me. Now that I’m with my boyfriend, no matter how tired he is or how early he has to wake up, he will always rub my back until I fall asleep. That’s true love right there."
22. And farting.
"We fart. Long, loud, proud farts. We both have IBS, and both of our ex-spouses used to make us hold them in/go outside. Now we live and love in a marriage where farting is a sign of love, devotion, and security. And they make us both laugh."
—Fran Crossley, Facebook
Submissions have been lightly edited for length/clarity.