Honestly never thought I’d be researching this crap. But last weekend Claire got real quiet after our date, all “you never say nice stuff” vibes. Didn’t wanna mess it up again. Grabbed my laptop cold.
Step Zero: Brain Hurting Time
Sat there staring at Google like an idiot. Typed “cute things to tell girlfriend” and got a bazillion listicles. Felt fake as hell. Scrolled through Reddit next. Big mistake. Saw dudes recommending Shakespearean poetry or weird pickup lines. Yeah, Claire woulda laughed in my face.
Changed tactics: Searched dating sites themselves. Figured actual women wrote those blogs. Found three decent ones, dumped quotes into a Notepad file fast. Looked like this:
- “That dress color looks awesome with your eyes”
- “You make boring stuff fun just by being there”
- “Damn, your hair smells amazing” (real subtle, right?)
Testing Phase: Operation Buttercup
Next time I saw Claire grabbing coffee Wednesday morning? Seized my chance.
- Deployed Text 1: Mid-sip, blurted “Seriously, that blue sweater makes your eyes look crazy good.” Saw her cheeks go pink. Score one.
- Deployed Text 2: Later, stuck in traffic hell. Said “Sitting in this car sucks… but somehow better ’cause you’re here grumbling about it.” Got an actual giggle.
- Deployed Text 3: Leaned in when she hugged me goodbye. Sniffed dramatically. “Okay, what IS that shampoo? Like vanilla fields or something?” Playful shove. Confirmed hit.
Epic Fail & Victory Lap
Tried adding a Reddit find Friday night – “Your smile is my favorite app.” Big damn silence. Then Claire snorted coffee out her nose. “That’s… awful.” Lesson learned: Reddit lies. Stick to the simple, real stuff.
End result? Used maybe 5% of what I found. But hey, she texted “you’ve been sweet lately” this morning. Mission accomplished. Mostly. Still keeping that shampoo line in rotation though.
