You remember that time that you called your teacher "Mom" in class and everyone laughed at you? Even the kid that peed his pants during the pledge allegiance two weeks ago? Yeah, well accidentally saying "I love you" is kind of like that: your eyes get wide, your mouth gets dry, and your chest and face burn red with embarrassment. Stunningly, I've blurted out the L-word on three separate inappropriate occasions.
1) I love you-- I MEAN POPCORN This Valentine's Day, my ex-boyfriend Nick had been dating for two weeks or so, so we decided to spend the holiday at the movies. Yes, we saw Valentine's Day... we're terribly cliche. Like all college-aged food-lovers, we ordered a giant tub of popcorn. I watched him order it, and silently feared that he would request several squirts of awful, plastic-y movie butter (honestly, it might as well be a melted yellow crayon).
Nick: Yeah, hey, could I have some popcorn?
Nondescript AMC Employee: Sure! You want butter on that?
Nick: Nah
I was so overwhelmed with shock and joy that he would order butter-free popcorn (WOW, we're PERFECT FOR ONE ANOTHER!) that the words "Oh my God, I LOVE you" raced out of my mouth, probably fueled by extreme hunger and deep popcorn passion. I immediately clapped my hands over my stupid, stupid face. Nick raised his eyebrows. "I mean, like, I mean like, I love you as a friend, and popcorn, I love popcorn." He laughed. Thank God.
2) No No, That Wasn't Me, That Was Anthony Kiedis! In high school, I was that girl who always had a boyfriend-- I guess I preferred to be dating. In junior year, I had just begun dating my boyfriend... let's call him Paul. Currently, little Paul and I were sitting on the bleachers at a varsity volleyball game, shoulders touching, sharing headphones. Paul was drumming his fingers on my knee, slightly off beat. I was singing along to some arbitrary once-popular Red Hot Chili Peppers song. Unfortunately for me, somewhere in this song was the lyric "I love you," and when I turned to look at Paul for a moment, my lips formed those words.
His face exploded in a smile, delighted that after a short two week stint at dating, his first girlfriend would feel so immediately passionate about him. He replied "I love you too!" and his eyes sparkled, reflecting the bobbing volleyball that danced in front of him. I didn't have the heart to explain what had happened. Thankfully, little Sally and Paul dated for a couple years afterward, so I later ended up meaning it. Dodged that bullet.
3) The Token "During Sex I Love You"Everyone knows it doesn't count when you say (or when he says) "I love you" during sex-- you're just too fired up and figure you have to say SOMETHING that's running through your head, and since "Oh Jake Gyllenhaal, you're so attractive in that cowboy outfit" usually isn't appropriate, saying "I love you" always seems like the best alternative. This has happened to me quite a few times, with several different people. Sometimes he'll say it, sometimes I do, but we always pretend it didn't happen and it usually works out all right. With the sex "I love you," I usually adhere to a strict "it counts after fifteen minutes of non-sexual contact" rule.
You know what I wish? I wish there wasn't this weird stigma around those three little words. I wish I could just say it whenever I felt like it, without the deep fear that what I say might make my commitment-phobe boyfriend run away screaming. I hate that sometimes, you have to play the game just because other people do. But maybe that's just me...
Do any of you have awkward "I love you" stories?
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Comments (52)
I love yous are hard for me to conjure up. Even accidental ones.
No. Never. I've always been careful...
I've never said I love you without meaning it.
Now, how I mean it.. that can vary.
no accidental ones. i said it drunk to my boyfriend for the first time, but i had been thinking it for like the past 6 months. he was drunkenly pleased and said it back. a few days later we said it for reals when sober.
awww... :)
I think the 'I love you during sex' one is weird. There's plenty of other things you can say...I wouldn't ever say it during sex if i didn't mean it, and I'd hate it if anyone did that to me.
The popcorn one made me smile tho:) I've had an accidental "i love you" pop up, like only 3 weeks into the relationship or so haha. But I'd fallen for this guy hard and fast, and had been actually 'stopping' myself from letting it slip out for a week or so. I was slightly intoxciated and having a lot of fun with a group of friends and it just slipped out in front of..everybody! It worked out well though, he returned it that night, when he thought i was asleep and couldn't hear him;P And the next day we admitted it to eachother. Almost 2 years on and we're still crazy in love:)
@babymeatball@xanga - awwww:) i like your username btw lol
@Peppermint__Kisses@xanga - thanks! its actually a nickname that my boyfriend has for me. its from the song that goes "on top of spaghetti, all covered in cheese, i lost my poor meatball..." we we're singing that song when we first started dating for some reason and he said "you're MY little meatball!" it was weird and cute, haha.
I don't have one, myself.
But in high school a guy friend of mine was on the phone with his girlfriend of the time; he was playing a video game, not paying attention to the phone, and something awesome happened in the game. He yells out, "Oh my god, I love you!" She got excited as ever and says, "I love you too!"
She called me that night and told me how happy she was about it. He called me later than night asking me for any advice, seeing as how he didn't love her.
Kind of like your headphone situation. :P
...I don't think I have any accidental stories, only ones where I don't mean it (but am pressured into it. Go assertiveness!).
These are pretty cute, though. I mean, awkward and funny in a way, but cute nonetheless.
when my boyfriend and i first started going out, he left a long vm mesg and at the end he said "i love you,,,ahhh i mean... love to miss you....ahh not really" hang up. i laughed and laughed. gave him crap for it too. still together after 1and half.
I have a lot of friendships with the opposite sex that I always end with "I love you!" whenever we leave each other or something. It's just kind of a thing where I'm from I guess.
Seeing as how all of my relationships have evolved from friendships... well, if I ever date someone I recently met without a stint of friendship beforehand, I might get in trouble lol :x
John
@forgottenrevelations@xanga - ahaha, yes, me too. "Go assertiveness!" indeed. (Le sigh.)
The non-accidental and well-thought out ones are amazing.
There was one time. I was on a date with this one guy, and he was walking me home (we're pretty great best friends with benefits. lol) and we were standing under a tree, and he kissed me a few times, and was like "I think I'm falling in love" then kissed me again, then said "i love you." It was so awkward. lol
@babymeatball@xanga - The weird and cute ones are the best pet names =P
Never had an accidental one. I don't like throwing around the "L word." I like to sincerely, honestly, and truly mean it when I say it. My SO shares my POV and so far we've been going out 2 and 1/2 years and still going strong.
I don't think I've ever said it accidentally. I said it to one guy I dated the whole time we dated for 3 months when I was 14. I'm almost positive he only initially said it so he could get in my pants and I was a fragile innocent 14 year old and thought it wasn't love unless you were giving your boyfriend blowjobs. I learned though. It isn't true love unless you're having sex with your boyfriend. Just kidding :) The next time I told a guy 'I love you', I was 17 (A month and a half from 18!) and understood my feelings better. We broke up for awhile, but I still know it's not an accidental 'I love you' a year and a half later. Now, calling your teacher 'mom', I've been there. Unfortunately more than three times. :)
I accidentally said it to my boyfriend of 2 months in a Fred Meyer when we were looking at getting some Starbucks coffee. I wanted to say that I loved that he bought me coffee without me having to ask but ended up saying, "I love you." and made a really satisfied smile before realizing what I said. As it was, my little sister was with us and I turned that into "I love you guys." as quickly as possible.
I ended up marrying that boyfriend, so I ended up really meaning it later on. Strange thing is that same man told me on the second day of dating that he "<3" me in a text.
My first boyfriend & I were sitting in the car around 2am in an abandoned parking lot, just hanging out. He looked at his phone and said, "Wow my mom hasn't even called to check up on me. Nobody loves me." And I followed up with a, "Tsk, awwwww I love you!" and immediately swallowed my tongue. I was horrified. He then asked if I meant it, and I realized I kind of did so I said yes. And then he said it back.
It really bothers me that people don't count the sex "I love you" because I say it then because that's when I really mean it. I say it because I'm sharing this with you because I love you and this is my way of showing you. I really hate that people don't count it or try to ignore it because there is fear of attachment in the bedroom. Then again, I think sex should be between people who love each other and who are committed to each other, so obviously thats why I feel it should be said, not avoided.
"I love you" to me is treated like sex. I wear protection...
I remember I had the "During sex I love you" with my current boyfriend of two years. T_T I wanted to say "I love your big, hard ..." and I accidentally said "I love you." ...I was so embarrassed.
It was 6 months or so into the relationship, but I withhold love for a while.
I love your posts. They're the only ones I actually read all the way through. haha
Ya I had this one guy accidently say it to me like 3 times, and one of my BFF said it to me when we were on the phone I cracked up and was like I love you too amy!
I love this post :D
i like to just say it to anybody whenever i want. therefore you can sort of weed out the awkwardness since it doesn't seem like anything major. of course, it will always work its way in there somehow when you least expect it.
singing along to songs with passionate lyrics when it's just you and another person, and you actually do feel that way about them. ...awwwwkward.
I've never said it accidentally. I've been in two relationships and both times the guy said it early. Like a week in. The first time I just said I'm sorry, but I think you need to take more time before saying it (it was the first relationship for both of us). The second time he meant it and had been thinking about it for a while (and thinking about me nonstop for days) and I felt the same way. So it wasn't a huge deal in terms of awkwardness. I don't believe in playing games. I'm glad my second bf told me when he felt he loved me. It was reassuring I suppose.