You think you know a person — you know all the silly comic book references and obscure movies, the way his blue eyes widen when he hears Elvis Costello, how his thin pale fingers look against your skin — you know all the jokes and stories and trivialities — you think you know, and you do. You've known him since you were fourteen. You've known, of course, but you don't know, not until you call your sister and you say, “Chelsea, I'm in real trouble here." “Why?” she says. “I think I'd let this guy break my heart." — Sara

We had been high-school sweethearts, off and on through college, and pen pals afterwards because yes, these were the days before Facebook and email and I hate to admit, computers. We wrote to each other for every important event, every birthday and Christmas, and still I never thought we’d end up as more than friends — I moved to a big city, and he stayed in our hometown. Close to my thirtieth birthday, I returned home, and we decided to meet for a walk in the park. We were talking as if no time had gone by at all. There were no big fireworks or sparks, just that strange comfort and contentedness. I just realized he was the one. We’ve been married thirty years. — Megan

I knew the second I saw her. She was completely my type, physically, and there was just something about her, maybe a confidence thing, that set her apart. We were at a bar in the East Village; she was with her group of friends, and I with mine. All night I was trying to work up the courage to talk to her without seeming like a creep. Towards three a.m. her group headed out, and I bit the bullet. I went after her, tried to convince her I was legit, and asked for her number. Probably against her better judgment, she went out with me, and we’ve been together ever since. — Kevin

We had been dating for just a couple of weeks, and I knew that I was already falling hard for him, but he’s kind of a tough guy to read, so I wasn’t sure if he felt the same way. One night we stopped at an ATM, and I stayed the requisite two feet away. He said: “Hey, I want to show you something." And typed in his PIN for me to see. Some might say it was too trusting, but I’m going to go with that as the moment he knew he was in love with him. — Casey

New York played a big part in this. It was just one of those nights. We got lucky with a walk—in table at Babbo right at eight o’clock. We made friends with the waiter, who comped us a dessert. We walked up Fifth Avenue afterwards, taking in the Christmas lights and decorations, and it started to snow, the first snow of the season. And this is not the most important thing, but it was my first ‘out’ experience with another guy. Something about being free to hold his hand while walking up one of the most famous streets in the world and no one batting an eye — that was it. — Danny

It was on the way back from this friend of a friend's party in Brooklyn. We had both long since sobered up, it was late, and by the time we got down to the subway, the sign flashed "42 Minutes" for the next train into Manhattan. Alone or with anyone else, I would have been miserable. But forty-two minutes with this guy? I was okay with it. And I just thought, “Man, if he can make this long-ass wait for the train at three a.m. on a Saturday night better, he must be pretty special." — Kristen