We’ve left the honeymoon phase.

We've just left the honeymoon phase., shut the fuck up. The honeymoon phase is for people who assume relationships are a fleeting burst of excitement followed by years of dreariness, but all love inevitably becomes as dull as dishwater. See, when my boyfriend and I first met, we spent days on end discovering each other., get your head out the gutter.

We also did a hell of a lot of talking. Anyways, every new thing shared was exciting because it was new. We were learning each other's preferences, dislikes, stories. Everything we did together was a thrill because we'd never done it together before. I suppose the novelty of those first few weeks

is what people call the honeymoon period. But time has passed now and we've done a lot of the same things. We have our favorite meals that we make all the time because we know we like them. When we go to the cinema together, it isn't our first time at the cinema anymore. The butterflies have disappeared,

but the butterflies in your belly come from the nervousness of the beginning. They're not a symbol of a successful relationship. See, I don't worry about how I look in front of him anymore., I look like a rat 90% of the time. I don't get embarrassed about eating neatly when I'm with him.

I don't feel the urge to look or act above being a normal human being. Some people would call that letting myself go. How sad, because dropping my barricade of embarrassment and worry hasn't lowered me in his eyes. So now in the evenings, when we're cuddled on the sofa,

eating cereal in front of a film, sure, it doesn't feel like an exciting date night. But tell you what, it does feel like sitting on the bedrock of the comfort, safety, and peace of my life.

of the comfort, safety, and peace of my life.