I want a laidback love. An uncomplicated love. A love that makes me feel safe and protected, like I am in the right place at the right time.
I want date nights in bed, munching on pizza and watching YouTube videos from our laptops. I want to stroll through shopping malls and home goods stores, browsing for knickknacks to decorate our apartment. I want to grab coffee together and sip from the cups at a round table outside or while we’re driving back to our place and singing along to our favorite songs from the nineties.
I want to spend some lazy weekends at home instead of always getting dressed up for parties and clubs where we would have to scream to hear each other. I want to sit on opposite ends of the same couch with my feet on your lap, reading while you play video games or catch up on a show I have zero interest in watching. I want to spend quiet quality time together, even if we are not talking.
I want to date someone who makes me feel loved just by being in the same room. A love that doesn’t need giant romantic gestures on anniversaries and holidays because feelings are shown every single day with hand holds and forehead kisses and surprise candy brought home from the store.
I want a love that makes me feel spoiled — not because I am being showered with material items, but because I am being acknowledged and appreciated and seen.
I want sleepy conversations at the end of the night where we talk about silly hypothetical situations. I want random texts that will make me burst into laughter while I’m at work. The little things matter more to me than diamond bracelets and plane tickets.
I don’t want your money. And I don’t want an exciting, romantic comedy type love filled with midnight fights and make-out sessions in the rain. I want a comforting love. A reliable love. I want to fall asleep with my head pressed against your chest. I want to wake up to the smell of pancakes on the stove. I want to develop an after work routine I look forward to for eight hours straight.
I want to stay home and bake cookies together. I want to drink alone in our living room. I want to cuddle in our underwear. I want to take selfies the internet will never see because they are intimate, private, only for us.
I want an authentic love. I don’t want the kind of relationship that only looks good online and in public. I want us to be at our happiest when we are alone, when no one is around for us to impress, when we are just being ourselves.
I want a laidback love. A love that doesn’t need expensive getaways and couples retreats in order to stay strong. I want a love that is exciting even when it’s ‘boring.’ I want a love that makes the most ordinary days feel like something special.
By Holly Riordan for ThoughtCatalog