We can all dream that perhaps one day he’ll show up with a bouquet of flowers for no reason, he’ll find some clever and unexpected way to remind us that he loves us, or he’ll do just the right thing to cheer us up after a crappy day. There are endless amounts of things that boys and boyfriends can do to seriously blow us away, but all too often, they miss the opportunity to do so, thanks to whatever sports game is currently on TV or whichever friend he desperately needs to beat in cyber-land-video-game-world. Well, while some boys waste away on the couch, there seems to be some number of guys that has been taking good notes. Lucky collegiettes have shared their guys’ most romantic gestures with Her Campus, making OMG-love-moments come to life.
A Change of Pace
“My boyfriend really enjoys sleeping. He wouldn’t wake up early for anything. At the end of last semester, I was stressed before an 8AM final. I got a text saying ‘open up.’ My boyfriend woke up at 7 and walked ten minutes from his dorm just to give me a hug before my final.”
– Bridget, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 2015
This adorable gesture shows that Bridget’s boyfriend took the time to think about what would make her happy. It was nothing of grandeur, but the thought behind it – and the effort it probably took to drag his a** out of bed that early – spoke volumes, and showed that he really cared.
An Anniversary Gift
“For my one-year anniversary, I was at my boyfriend Alex’s formal with him, and I didn’t think he was going to give me any kind of big present. When I was sleeping, he put the ring that I really wanted on my finger and placed the box on the table next to the bed. So I woke up and didn’t even realize it was on my finger, and opened the box. I was confused to see that there was nothing inside, but then I felt something on my finger and realized what it was. I started poking Alex to wake him up and ask him what it was for, and he just had a huge smile on his face.”
– Hilary, Syracuse University 2013
He should be just as excited to give an anniversary gift as you are to receive it – he took the time to pick it out mostly so he could see the smile plastered across your face when you open it.
The Surprise Visit
“My first boyfriend in college used to say things all the time that would stop and make me say, ‘is this guy for real?’ But a moment that still stands out was when we were each heading home for winter break. We talked earlier in the week and he said he was heading home with a friend and that we wouldn’t be seeing each other before we each left for home. I was bummed because already while at school we were about 45 minutes away from each other (we went to different schools, we met through my roommate at the time because they were from the same hometown) and when we were each home we were 3 hours apart. So on the last day of classes on Friday, with dorms closing at 5, I was working on campus and he came walking into my office with a dozen pink roses to wish me a Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas early. The best part was we weren’t even official yet.”
– Christina, Merrimack College
Whether he’s flying in from another city or just visiting you across campus in the library, the unexpected in-person “Hi, I missed you so I came to see you,” is always appreciated.
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…or a Surprise Care Package
“When I was abroad in South Africa, the last thing I expected from my boyfriend was a visit all the way from D.C. But he did manage to surprise me with an adorable care package filled with all of my favorite things that he knew I missed from home. Randomly, a box filled with US-only candy and magazines showed up at my apartment in South Africa. It was super thoughtful and made me think of him and home.”
– Rachel, Emory University 2013
Loving gestures don’t necessarily have to occur in person. Things like packages, notes and even flowers allow him to show that he’s thinking of you even when he can’t physically be with you.
Valentine’s Day Appearance
“Freshman year in college, I was really upset that I would not be with my long-distance boyfriend for Valentine’s Day. We were both swamped with work and just decided that we would have to spend this year apart and make up for it when we got home. Come February 14th, I couldn’t help but glare at all the annoying couples walking around campus holding hands. I was hanging out in my room after class, about to call him, when someone started knocking on my door. He had flown three hours to come surprise me for the weekend and made reservations at my favorite restaurant!”
– Heidi, Brown University 2013
A guy should never overlook Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to sweep you off your feet, no matter how many states separate you.
Quirky Inside Jokes
“My current boyfriend and I initially fell in love because of music. As corny as it may sound, I really feel that music is what brought us together. He is a drummer and guitarist, and used to be in a boy band called “Dreams of University.” When we were in the “talking” stage, we were long distance, and so he would e-mail me a song everyday and type out the lyrics he thought were the cutest or most meaningful. He had introduced me to so much and we really began to bond more and more over our love for the same things. The first time he came over, he brought his ukulele. I had never touched one before, nonetheless played one. He taught me a few chords and I instantly fell in love. The more I played, the more addicted I became to the instrument. We would play music and sing together, and it was the most simple yet magical connection I’d ever experienced… As Valentine’s Day was approaching, one of the sites he had stumbled on in his music research had a banner advertising to ‘Share the Gift of Love with Music’ and a photo of a man holding roses and a ukulele behind his back to surprise his woman. We joked about it saying, “Oh, wouldn’t that be nice.” On Valentines Day, he took me out to dinner and it was lovely, but I didn’t receive a gift. I’m not a greedy or materialistic person, but as long as we’d been together, he was always so giving and full of surprises, so I thought he’d get me something. The rest of the night came and went, and it wasn’t until we were studying together the following night that he left to get “Tums” out of his car and returned to the door with one arm behind his back. Yep, you guessed it, red roses and my very own ukulele. I was speechless. It was the most exciting, romantic, and surprising moment I had had in a long time. Now, we can play our ukuleles together, and those moments we share are more and more special every time.”
– Kelsey, West Virginia University
While we might not all have obsessions with ukuleles, there’s always that one thing that, for whatever reason, makes us swoon and laugh. When he takes advantage of those, he creates moments that sweep a girl right off her feet.
An Actual Song
During my junior year of high school, I was dating a not-so-my-type guy, Zach. A few months after I started dating Zach, I met Matthew, a friend of a friend who lived nearby. Matthew was wonderful, but we had very different expectations. These differences became especially clear when Matthew invited me over one afternoon, whipped out his guitar, and began to sing a song to me. When I asked him whose song it was (expecting a John Mayer of Dave Matthews-eque answer), he told me that he had written the song himself — for me! Needless to say, I was not particularly tactful during the conversation that followed. But how could I smoothly tell Matthew that I didn’t want to date him… while asking him to e-mail me a copy of the song for my iPod?
– Anonymous
Though this collegiette couldn’t bring herself to commit to the guy that attempted to wow her, this was a huge step for this dude to take. The song itself was swoon-worthy to her, even if the guy himself wasn’t exactly what she wanted.
Bucket List-ing
“My boyfriend and I had been discussing silly things we wanted to put on our bucket lists and I said I wanted to go skydiving one day just in passing. He said he could never because he had a secret fear of heights. So a few months passed since we had the conversation and my birthday came around. Unfortunately, it’s during the summer and he was away for an internship. He felt really terrible that he was going to miss it—even though I told him not to worry about it—and he promised to make it up to me and give me a great present. On the day that he got back, he drove up and told me to get in the car because he was going to take me to my present. I figured he had something cute and small set up like a picnic. We drove for a while and he refused to tell me where we were going until we pulled up to this airfield. He hopped out of the car and looked at me with this huge grin on his face and said, ‘We’re going skydiving!’ I was totally shocked and all I could say was, ‘but you hate heights.’ He said, ‘But you’ve always wanted to do this and I want to make sure you get to do whatever you want in your life. Besides, if you want to experience something this spectacular, I want to experience it with you.’ He could even see that I was so nervous that he ended up jumping first even though he must have been more scared than I was.”
– Samantha, Villanova University 2014
While a bucket-list adventure doesn’t have to consist of jumping out of an airplane, crossing something off with your guy – when he takes initiative to plan it and make it a surprise – is super sweet.
These experiences are just a little bit of inspiration – an OMG Love Moment should be particular to you and your guy to make it really thoughtful and spectacular. These collegiettes have been lucky enough to experience such cute and special gestures that seemed specific to their relationships. If you feel so compelled, slam him with your own movie-worthy love moment and sweep him off his feet! An experience like this isn’t exactly something you should be asking for, and it’s certainly not a guys-only job. Tear him away from the video-game controller for just a little while, and create your own real-life movie moment.