Sipping coffee with a friend of mine, I asked him whether he remembers any romantic gesture he ever made to a girl. He told me how he recalls a particular Valentine's day that fell on a Friday. He explained how he booked a farmhouse in Gozo, took the day off from work, and went to the sister island first thing in the morning to decorate the farmhouse with candles and flowers. He then returned to Malta, got ready and went to pick his girlfriend who, needless to say, was dumbstruck when she saw the surprise that he prepared.
On the other hand, I'll never forget my last trip to Australia. My boyfriend and I had been going out together for just three months. I remember that, while going up the escalator at the airport, I felt like I was hearing the sound of my heart shattering as it hit the ground. As I sat waiting for the plane to take off, one of the stewards walked up to me and asked "Jennifer Mifsud"? "Yes," I muffled through my sobs, wondering what he wanted from me. "I have this for you," he continued as he handed me a ‘Just wanted to say' card from my boyfriend where he explained why I meant a lot to him. It was so romantic yet so simple. And that's where I feel the beauty of the gesture lied... in its simplicity. I paid him back by returning from my holiday a week earlier than he expected me to.
Another friend of mine still gets a huge smile on her face when she remembers how her boyfriend once left her a piece of paper attached to one of her windscreen wipers. On it he wrote "just thought I'd let you know that I missed you and that you were on my mind all night". He had been on a boys' night out.
There's no excuse for not showing your other half how much you care about her/him. Romantic gestures keep the heart warm. They show that you care for your partner and that you don't take her/him for granted. Little sweet thoughts are enough.
A romantic gesture is not just about fancy things. It doesn't need to be expensive, and it surely helps the relationship. Whether sticking a love note to the kettle, or a romantic dinner at a posh restaurant, at the end of the day it's the thought that counts.