13 People In Longterm Relationships Share Their Favorite Unexpectedly Romantic Memories

1. “My girlfriend and I started dating right after I quit my job on Wall Street. I was itching to travel, so we booked a trip to Thailand. Within a week of sightseeing and eating all sorts of spicy dishes we weren’t used to, we were both rolling on the floor of our hotel room with the worst diarrhea. One bathroom between the two of us. We were miserable, but every so often, in between trips to the toilet, we’d both start laughing our asses off. What more can you ask for than someone to laugh with when shit happens? Literally! Today we joke that liquid poo is what glued us together.”

— Graham, 28

2. “My boyfriend’s parents walked in on us having ferocious, naughty sex in their laundry room last Thanksgiving. It was mortifying—and then it was in the past and we had to face the aftermath of the mishap as a couple. My boyfriend obviously lost his erection, and I could not stop blushing. But in retrospect, it was special. Putting on an accidental porno for your future in-laws might not sound romantic, but that memory is etched in our minds as the first time we had to brave a sticky situation as a couple.”

— Anita, 28

3. “I caught my boyfriend crying during The Fault In Our Stars. We saw it at his place on TV, and he tried to play it off like he wasn’t at all moved, but tears were legitimately streaming down his cheeks! I hit pause to call him a pussy, but I was actually really turned on. My boyfriend’s a total alpha male, so it was endearing to see him look so vulnerable. I could see his heart thumping right through his pecks. We ended up wrestling our way into the hottest sex ever and forgetting about the movie altogether. Still haven’t seen the end.”

— Maggie, 30

4. “On the flight back from Paris, where we spent our first vacation together, my boyfriend and I decided to top it all off by joining the mile high club. But once we squeezed ourselves into the tiny little bathroom stall, it smelled so bad. After ten minutes of fumbling around, trying to avoid touching the walls or anything else, my boyfriend finally zipped up his pants, shrugged, and walked right out. Five years later, it’s not the croissants I remember or the Mona Lisa or the Eiffel Tower. It’s my man’s adorable, exasperated expression in that gross little bathroom.”

— Francine, 33

5. “I dragged my boyfriend to a lecture at the local library a few weeks back because I wanted to start doing more stimulating, cultural stuff as a couple. Within minutes, I realized I’d made a mistake. It was seriously the most boring thing ever. But then it was suddenly like we were back in high school, two naughty students desperate to spice things up. We were nudging each other and passing notes and whispering and causing trouble the whole time. Finally I got up and gave my boyfriend the come hither signal. We dashed into the men’s bathroom and started making out in a stall until a security guard kicked us out. It wasn’t the night I’d imagined, but it was the most fun we’d had in a long time.”

— Pamela, 35

6. “A while back, my wife and I went through a rough patch. It all culminated with massive blowout fight. After the longest rant I’ve ever been subjected to, my wife threw a plate at the wall and screamed ‘I WANT A DIVORCE!’ It was like the dramatic climax of a bad movie. Then she fell to the floor and started weeping, trying to piece the broken pieces of ceramic back together. How’s that for a metaphor? I realized right then that I definitely didn’t want to separate, and we pledged to work harder on our marriage—and to buy a replacement platter. That was a decade ago.”

— Roger, 46

7. “I spent the night in jail after getting snagged at a bar for my fake ID. It was a pretty heinous experience. The holding cell was crowded and dirty AF. When I walked out the next day, I was disheveled and smelly and massively hungover. My boyfriend, who was already 21 at the time, was standing right there, waiting for me with a change of clothes, baby wipes, and dry shampoo. He’d slept in his car in the parking lot outside just to be there the second I got out. I sprinted to him and held him for so long. It was just like when Noah and Allie reunite in The Notebook, minus the rain and the breathtaking scenery.”

— Penelope, 22

8. “Neither of us is at all religious, so when my boyfriend suggested going to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral one Christmas Eve, I thought he was nuts. We ended up doing a few lines of coke and drinking our faces off before cutting the line to get inside right before midnight. We sat in a pew in back for exactly ten minutes before sneaking away to make out in the confessional. I don’t care if you believe in God or not. That shit was hot.”

— Sydney, 29

9. “Our car broke down in the middle of nowhere a few months ago in the midst of a terrifying hurricane. We had no reception so we couldn’t call anyone and we weren’t about to get out of the car because the weather was that bad. After hours and hours of waiting for another car to pass, we finally climbed into the back seat and curled up, holding each other tight. Neither of us could sleep, so we told each other silly stories and jokes to pass the time. I was happy when it was all over, but I was also glad that it’d happened. I felt so safe in my boyfriend’s arms, in spite of everything going on. That’s how I knew this relationship was different from all the others.”

— Meg, 26

10. “I remember the first time my girlfriend farted in front of me like it was yesterday. We were alone in a park taking a nighttime walk, and she was so traumatized that she’d let one slip. She just stood there, paralyzed, eyes wide. I used every ounce of self control I possess to stop myself from cracking up. Without a word, I took her hand and started walking back. Now she farts without thinking twice, so there’s something really special about that moment—when a fart was enough to rattle her so much.”

— Kevin, 32

11. “I’m not a romantic guy by nature. None of those fantasy relationship situations like making out in the rain or having sex on the beach appeal to me—at all. I don’t want to be wet, or sandy. So when my girlfriend insisted on skinny dipping in the middle of the night when we were on vacation in Jamaica a couple years back, I resisted. She literally dragged me out of our hotel room and stripped me naked herself. I have to admit that we had a blast. The sex was great, but the real fun was the wet sand fight. I’m not nearly as romance shy these days.”

— Neel, 31

12. “Period sex is a risk, especially if you’re like me and your flow’s a monthly tsunami. When we first started dating, my boyfriend said he wasn’t afraid of a little blood, so we had sex when I was on day one of my period. By the time he orgasmed, the towel I’d laid down was scrunched up on the floor and his bed was literally drenched in blood. I was embarrassed, even though I’d warned him. But he didn’t blink an eye. He just stripped the bed and put a load of laundry in. That was a moment I’ll never forget. I felt loved even before we’d officially exchanged L-bombs.”

— Avery, 25

13. “My girlfriend always makes fun of me for snoring, right? She wears earplugs to bed, claiming it’s that bad. But she snores too! She just doesn’t believe it. So about six months ago, I let her pass out first and I waited. Sure enough, she started snoring, and I recorded it all with my phone. Playing that weird video clip the next morning and watching the horror creep across her face is one of my all-time favorite relationship memories. Now that’s what you call intimacy.”

— Perry, 30