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Real Love isn’t Measured by the Amount of Times You Say “I Love You”

It’s so easy to get caught up in the idea of just saying I love you and that being enough but loving someone is much more than that.

It’s not just sending that I love you text first thing when you wake up, or if it’s the last thing you do before you go to bed.

It’s laughing till you want to cry.

It’s smiling when someone mentions their name, even if they aren’t talking about your person.

It’s forgiving them  when they make mistakes. It’s never rubbing their nose in the fact that they did something that wasn’t great.

It’s asking them to text you when they make it home safely.

It’s surprising them with their favorite meal or a date night for no special reason.

It’s listening to their passions even when they bore the crap out of you.

It’s seeing something when you’re out shopping and buying it just because you know they are going to like it.

It’s flowers on a Tuesday because they reminded you of how beautiful they are.

It’s post it notes that you leave for them to find when you’re not around. 

When they ask you to go to something you prioritize it, even if there were other choices or events you could have attended.

It’s sitting through TV shows, movies or sporting events that you are so disinterested in that you rather watch paint dry.

When you see them at their worst, it’s deciding to stay.

If it gets tough, it’s deciding to fight harder.

It’s admitting when you are wrong and apologizing when you’ve hurt the other person.

The moment you catch yourself staring at them for no reason, while driving down the road, sitting on the couch or out on the town and you couldn’t imagine being with anyone else.

It’s wanting the very best for them and pushing them to achieve their goals. 

It’s standing beside them even when you don’t know how. It’s holding their hand when life gets tough. It’s being their partner and their shoulder to lean on. 

When in a crowded room it’s always being able to find them and not worrying about everyone else around you.

It’s skipping that last snooze to enjoy a cup of coffee in the mornings with them.

It’s sharing the last slice of pizza, giving them dibs on the warm towel, it’s letting them sleep closer to the fan, and when there is only one pink starburst it’s tossing it to them.

It is forehead kisses, the way they roll over in the middle of the night and wrap their arms around you.

The sound of their voice becomes the best song you’ve ever heard. It’s dancing to your favorite song and not caring how foolish you look.

It’s embracing their flaws and accepting them even if they have some bad habits.

It’s every little thing that made you fall in love with them in the first place.

It’s remembering the first time you saw them. The smile that crept slowly upon your face, or the way you felt the first time they looked your way.

The understanding of why everything that came before them had to fail.

It’s choosing them every day.

You get the joy of loving your best friend.

Because three simple words can’t even begin to communicate how you feel for this person.

Real love isn’t measured by the amount of times you say “I love you”, it’s measured by everything the two of you are creating and so much more.

To see more of Audi’s work check out her facebook page.