"I'll be over in a bit," read the text you just received from Christian.
You paced back and forth, wringing your hands together.
"You got this," you hyped yourself up, "What could go wrong?"
You and Christian have been dating for a few months now, and you had become really serious. You had an inkling that he was going to use the word soon, and you didn't want to seem flustered or unsure of yourself when he said it. So naturally, you practiced.
"Chris, I-uh, well," you grimaced, "Oh my God, I sound so stupid."
"Christian, I really like you. No, that's not what I want to say. That's bad," you rambled, "I-uh, I love you."
You cringed at how much you were stuttering but decided to keep going until it sounded natural.
"Christian, I love you," you repeated, "I love you, babe."
Quickly, the words started to roll off your tongue, sounding as smooth as it possibly could coming from the most nervous girl on the planet.
"I love you, Chris."
"I love you, too."
"AHH!" you screamed, turning to the voice behind you. Christian was standing in the doorframe of your bedroom, smiling.
"I let myself in with the spare you keep behind the plant," he explained, striding toward you.
"How long have you been standing there?" you asked, absolutely mortified. You covered your face with your hands so your boyfriend wouldn't see how red you were turning.
"Long enough to know that in order for us to be even, I have to tell you that I love you about thirty-seven more times," Christian laughed, grabbing your wrists and pulling your hands away from your face.
"Oh my God, I can't believe you heard me."
"Hey, it was cute," he moved his hands from your wrists to your hands, lacing his fingers with yours.
"No, it wasn't! I'm so embarrassed," you shook your head.
"But why?" he frowned, "I love you, and I don't want you to be embarrassed in front of me."
"You really love me?" you looked up at Chris, "and you aren't just saying that because I said it?"
"Of course I do, baby girl," he kissed your forehead, "I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you."
"I love you, too," you nuzzled your head into his chest as he wrapped his arms around your torso, bringing you closer to him, "but I'm still ahead!"
"That's not fair, you got a head start!"
You were relieved to be able to stop stressing out, and for the rest of the day, you and Christian competed to say who could say "I love you" the most.
