r/wholesome

TL;DR: I love my boyfriend and would like to share my experience!

I know this sub can often revolve around negativity and relationship issues, but I would like to place my story in here for a little positivity.

My previous relationship/situationships were all short lived and absolutely broke me. From getting ghosted to even getting physically hurt. I felt like I had been taken advantage of; and I was naive. I was determined to stay alert and make the right choices now that I was given this clean slate. Some rules I was advised: don’t get attached on the first, second, third date; when first meeting, always let him text you first, don’t try too hard, be yourself but don’t be weird. Honestly, some of this advice made me more anxious than anything. Being neurodivergent doesn’t help either.

I remember when we first matched on Bumble, we chatted about the Shrek movie franchise (specifically the Puss in Boots 2 film, absolutely goated); his profile had a picture of him with his contagious smile, the sun lighting up his deep amber eyes. I instantly thought that he looked so sweet; especially compared to all the profile pictures holding dead fish or having a pouting face.

We chatted via text on bumble for a while, (I lowkey interrogated him, lol), he told me about his life, and he was given a tough hand, but he was driven, (graduated with a summa cum laude at a community college), was university-bound and seemed to have goals and aspirations. I was impressed. Then he asked me on a date when we FaceTimed that night. I initially questioned why it was moving so fast, but I reassured myself that I could walk away if the situation wasn’t right. I built up the courage to get back on that horse

Our first date was at a local outdoor shopping center. He drove good while to get there, and we were both extremely nervous. We chatted about life and our interests, we had vastly different music tastes, hobbies and experiences; but I could see we had mirroring personalities. We were both eldest siblings, we weren’t too outspoken, we both were driven and it seemed like we could build a foundation with this; but then again, this could go anywhere.

Then, we began dating.

First date, turned into second date, turned into meeting our families and friends, we began to share pieces of our lives more and more. Weeks turned into months, months turned into years.

After a year of dating, we moved in together and I transferred to his university (they had a program I wanted and they also gave me a scholarship).

We’ve been dating for nearly 3 years, we’ve gotten a dog, (he’s proven to be the best dog dad), and we’re going to graduate college together come May. He has sat with me during the difficult, conversations. He rushed to my aid and took care of me when he sprained my ankle, he’s held me when I’ve cried, shaking from post traumatic trauma. He has never once made me feel small or raised his voice. He brings me down to earth when I’m in over my head. I truly hope I do the same for him. We give one another grace and patience. I have repeatedly told him that he’s the best man I could ever have the honor of being my boyfriend. He held my hand through and through. He takes all of me and loves me unconditionally; my tendencies to be a clean-freak, my coffee addiction, my hobbies of crafts and fidgets, my unhealthy knowledge of dog breeds, everything. Yes, we’ve had our quarrels, but we handle those with maturity and patience for one another. He’s truly my best friend and I can’t imagine life without him. We are going to see my family in Ireland this summer and I can’t wait for him to pop the question in the next couple years and get our future that we’ve always wanted to build. I honestly hope he sees this because he deserves to know that he has changed my life forever.