What is supposed to be romantic, but just bloody isn’t?

@Mum2b43

Oh my god I've just had a flashback to exactly the same thing! I actually wanted to vomit! Suffice to say he was swiftly moved to the ex heap!

@Sparrowfeeder

Exactly this 👏👌🙌 It seriously takes away any romancing!

I had an ex that used to think talking dirty was a sure fire way to get me off! In reality it ruined everything as I died laughing! 🙃

This thread has made me cry laughing (especially the comparison of being serenaded being like locking eyes with a dog doing a poo)
I too am a total cynic about romance and can’t bear grand gestures. I want the ground to open up and swallow me.

Loathe Valentine’s Day - forced romance, everything overpriced
Hot tubs - being in a grim people soup, makes my skin itch just thinking about it
Baby talk - urgh, so cringe it hurts. How can anyone do this with a straight face?
Flowers - I’m really fussy about what flowers I like and hate having to look grateful for a naff bunch of chrysanthemums or carnations (or even roses for that matter)

I think the off the cuff thoughtful stuff can be great, but it just falls flat if they’re not doing the basics of respect and support. Don’t buy me flowers and think that’s going to win you brownie points if you don’t pull your weight with the everyday domestic shit.

And whilst shower sex is great if it’s in a big walk in style shower, I’m not sure I’d class it under ‘romantic’

• of us

DP & I sometimes shower together but it is to get clean, save some water, and his shower is big enough.

The only romantic part is that he'll scrub my back for me with the scrunchy thing without being asked - I can't reach well enough to apply as much pressure as I'd like.

Neither of feel remotely sexy in the shower - been there, done that - agree it's always shit

Sharing a bed

I had a boyfriend who used to sing to me and play the guitar. He also liked to read to me. He had a public school accent and the reading was never as good as when I read books myself and played the story in my head. He dumped me because he wanted to play the field.😁
Totally agree about Paris. I prefer London. And the Seine was every bit as murky as the Thames.

Showering together.

I went out with one guy who, nearly 40, went on and on about how he surprised his girlfriend with a trip to Paris when they were about 18 because 'I'm so romantic, you know'.

My DH of several decades isn't given to physical gestures, but a few weeks ago we were out for a walk. We were going up a steep hill and I was flagging. He held out his hand to help me up.

Have to say it had quite a profound effect on me (sadly, maybe?). I've felt a lot more positive towards him ever since and kind of crave a repeat performance! It wasn't so much the hand holding in itself, which is uncomfortable as his hands are big and mine are tiny, but the fact he helped me.

Actually he's been a lot more helpful generally recently after I told him I wasn't feeling good about us. It does make a huge difference.

I had an ex (he was quite a bit older, had been married with children I was still young and living a single life at first I found him endearing very soon embarrassing when he was so over enthusiastic and started to behave like a man in his 20’s and everything was so animated )

Anyway he tried then arms wrapped around each other when drinking champagne I’m blushing thinking about it why would you

Those 'bath bombs' with lots of tiny rose petals embedded in them which come away and not only make a right mess of the bath but can give a serious case of thrush to those with sensitive skin.

Red roses, red shiny underwear, just NO.

I went on a romantic trip to Paris with my boyfriend in my late teens. The cleaner or someone in our crappy hotel stole half our money (hidden in the suitcase), we both got stomach upsets, and spent most of our time in a wide variety of French public loos, before having to return to the UK early as we had run out of money. I like Paris, but it is not an automatic guarantee of romance.

Those locks on bridges cause structural damage. They weren’t built to hold the weight of the locks on top of whatever is usually there.

This thread has got me thinking. A couple of decades ago (when I was in my early twenties), I was in a tube carriage with a couple (who were strangers to me). The guy kept kissing his girlfriend and giving me evils. I think he thought he was being terribly romantic - look! See how I’m not interested in any other women! - but it came across as incredibly weird and creepy.

Nowadays I would ask him why he was giving me evils but when I was young and pretty I was much less assertive.

Among the least romantic things are those lovey padlocks couples attach to bridges. Nothing like a locked prison metaphor to start your life together...

@Romney981
". I read somewhere about a woman who had a baby and her partner booked a night in a hotel. She was thinking "oh no, that means sex and I am so tired" but when she checked in the hotel it was just for her; bubble bath, bottle of wine, magazines, chocolates. Her partner was looking after the baby at home while she could chill out and just rest. I thought that was just lovely."

This is THE BEST. Wow. Should be compulsory reading for any new dad.

Its a toss up as to whats worse, being surrounded by a choir or breaking a tooth on a ring hidden in food.

Going back to public proposals. Saw one on my local newspaper website which was billed as “the most romantic proposal ever”. They were in a restaurant. As soon as he started proposing the people at the surrounding tables got up and started singing. Turned out they were an undercover choir. It was hideous. I’d have died if it was me.

My boyfriend wanted to share a bath with rosepetals scattered in about as romantic as having a bath with lettuce leaves. I just don’t get it 😂plus who clears up all the soggy petals ? I do not want to share my bathwater its my one chill out space only if we had the imperial leather bath would I be prepared to share even then is it actually romantic ?!?

I had a ex who would always want to hold hands or have his arm around me in public. It drove me crazy. He was always wanting to show his friends and everyone how “in love we were” final straw was when we were out in a bar having a few drinks with his friends and he kept trying to grab my hand or kiss me and by kiss I mean full on kiss like wanting it to last 10 minutes kind of thing and when I snapped and said could you stop I don’t do pda he bloody got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I was only seeing him for about 10 weeks at this point. I walked out and changed my number the next day. This was roughly 9 years ago and from what iv heard he’s still the same. He’s been engaged 6 times after short relationships all public proposals none lasted longer that 4 months. He tried to add me on Facebook a few weeks ago I just blocked him