Love letters: 12 examples for your partner

My love,

There are things you do so often that you might think I have stopped noticing. Asking how something turned out when I mentioned it days ago. Bringing me a glass of water when I am buried in work. Waiting for me to watch the next episode, even when you really want to know what happens.

I notice. I love this way you have of caring: it turns up in the middle of an ordinary day and makes it a little easier. I do not need a special occasion to tell you that the small things make me feel supported. There are so many of them.

Today I wanted to give a little of that care back. Thank you for paying attention, for listening and for making room for me in your life. I love you, even when I steal your side of the sofa.

I still remember our first afternoon together.

I was trying to look relaxed while thinking about far too many things at once. You were telling a story I could not repeat now, but it made me forget to be nervous. I had no idea how much I would want to keep listening to you.

A lot has changed since then. We know each other’s habits, quiet moods and the faces we make when we need sleep. I like that being comfortable with each other has not taken away our excitement about making plans.

If I could go back to that afternoon, I would not tell myself what happens next. I would just say: stay a little longer. This person is going to matter to you. And I would be right.

My love, I really miss you today.

After our call, I kept looking at the screen for a moment. I wanted more time with you, even though we had nothing left to catch up on. I miss being together without checking the battery or finding an hour that works for both of us.

I wish I could hug you at the end of the day. Until then, I have your voice, the stories you tell me and the photos you send to make a little room for me in your day. I love knowing what life looks like where you are, even when nothing much seems to happen.

I do not know exactly when we will see each other again. I do know that I want to keep making time for us. When our next hug comes, I plan to hold on a little longer. Until then, keep these words close. I love you.

It is Tuesday and we are not celebrating anything.

That is exactly why I wanted to write. My favorite part of so many days is not a trip or a special dinner. It is listening to you while we make food, watching you laugh before you finish a story, or pretending to argue about which film to watch.

I like the life that happens between the big plans. The one where we can be together without needing to turn every moment into an occasion. There is something lovely about knowing I can just be myself with you.

So this letter is for an ordinary Tuesday. To tell you I enjoy being with you even when there are no flowers, anniversaries or pictures to post. And that tonight I would love to keep a little time just for us.

Happy anniversary, my love.

When I think about this year, little scenes come back: a meal we improvised, a blurry photo, a conversation we needed to have. Not everything was easy and we did not get everything right the first time. Still, there is so much I am glad I shared with you.

Thank you for the plans you suggested and the times you made room for mine. For saying what you needed and listening when it was my turn to speak. I feel as though we are still learning about each other, even in the details we thought we knew.

I do not have a list of enormous promises for what comes next. I want to keep looking after what we have, laugh more and finally do that thing we keep putting off. Today I am happy we get to ask each other: what would you like us to do next?

There are three words I have wanted to say for a while: I love you.

I kept looking for the perfect moment and finally decided to write them down. I feel it when I see you arrive, when I recognize your laugh before I find you in a crowd, and when I go home still smiling because we spent time together.

I love getting to know you. What excites you, the way you tell your stories and how we are starting to trust each other with things we used to keep to ourselves. I want to come closer, ask more questions and listen without thinking about whatever comes next.

I am not writing this to ask for a particular answer. I wanted you to know how I feel and to stop waiting for a perfect scene to say it. I love you. And I am excited about everything we have yet to discover.

I just saw something that would have made you laugh and wanted to tell you.

It happens quite a lot. A song, a phrase or a place turns up, and suddenly you are in my thoughts. I like having so many little reasons to look for you.

Today, this is one more. I love you and I want to hear how your day is going.

Thank you for yesterday.

For staying and listening when I could not quite explain what was going on. I did not need a brilliant solution. It helped to talk to you without feeling I had to hurry up and finish.

I wanted you to know that time mattered to me. I hope I can be there for you like that too. I love you.

I have a plan to suggest.

An unhurried walk, something good to eat along the way and our phones put away for a while. Lately we talk so much about things we need to do. I miss asking you questions without keeping an eye on the time.

Could we find a little space this week? I would like to be with you. It really is that simple.

If I could put three things about us into a box, I would choose these.

First: your laugh when you are telling a story and cannot get to the end. Second: the walks where we take one more turn because we are still talking. Third: feeling comfortable enough to tell you I do not know something without being embarrassed.

They would not take up much space, but they explain quite a lot about why I like being with you. If we open that imaginary box one day, I hope we have plenty more to add.

What would you keep? I would love to read your list.

Ingredients for an afternoon I would like to repeat:

Two people who want to see each other. A snack that will probably be finished before we start. A film we spend longer choosing than watching. And that comment you make that gets me laughing when I am trying to be serious.

Method: leave the rush at the door, ask how the day has been and listen to the whole answer. If something unexpected happens, improvise. We have had some practice.

I do not know whether this recipe would work for everybody. I like it because we make it together. Shall we try it again soon?

Hello, future us.

I am writing from a fairly ordinary day. We have half-made plans, a few worries and a list of things we want to do. I do not know which of them we will have done when we open this, but I wanted to leave a picture of how I feel right now.

Right now, I am glad to share even this chapter we cannot quite explain yet. I like that we can learn, change our minds and keep finding ways to understand each other.

If you are reading this together, tell me what happened to that plan we kept postponing. And if it has been a long day, take a break. The person who wrote this is reminding you of something simple: there was a lot of affection here. Look after it in small ways.