by Allison Danish, MPH

Contrary to what every show on the CW would have you believe, romantic relationships aren’t just about sex—and sex isn’t the only way to be intimate. There can be a lot pressure to have a certain amount of sex, a certain kind of sex, to have sex on certain days (Valentine’s Day, date night, etc.)—oh, and it better be steamy (and Christina Aguilera’s "Nasty Naughty Boy" better be playing in the background).

But realistically, partners do a whole lot more to feel close to each other—and it gets pretty weird sometimes (which is what makes it so special)! What better way to say "I get you" than a strange nighttime routine or a sweet inside joke? 

So how weird are we talking?

You be the judge. Here are 10 examples to get you started :)

1. Ruuub dub a dub dub DUB Dub dub 

“Sometimes when my bf and I shower, I like to get his chest hair all sudsy and then smooth the soap in different directions to look like a superhero shield of hair. Sometimes he asks me to do his back too :)”

-Emily

2. Ciabatta roll with it 

“Well, I just wrapped her up in a brown blanket, rolled her back and forth in bed and told her ‘Shhhhh be bread, it's okay, just be bread, shhhh, loaf-girlfriend, it's okay to become bread’ while she cackled and screamed ‘I DON'T WANT TO BE BREAD.’”

-ThirdFloorNorth

3. A close encounter of the YouTube kind 

"Sometimes when my fiance and I are in a silly mood, we'll start to reminisce about old music videos. An hour later, we've found ourselves down a YouTube rabbit hole spanning from Christina Aguilera's ‘Dirty’ to Hoobastank's ‘The Reason.’ It's one of our favorite ridiculous pastimes."

-Chelsea

4. Bite size is the right size 

“I invited my partner on a camping trip in my apartment and we made tiiiiny little s’mores over a candle, built a cozy couch blanket fort, and listened to poorly made albums of nature sounds.”

-Allison

5. “Mhm.”

"My guy and I always say this soft ‘Mhm’ during the juiciest part of a hug or cuddle. Like over and over again. ‘Mhm. Mhm. Mhm’ Like, ‘Yep, this is it. This is what I want. Thanks. Yep.’”

-Kathy

6. “No one will stop me from destroying Shadaloo!"

“We stand like three feet away from each other and make Street Fighter idle animations at each other for minutes on end.”

-Choccy_Nanoodly

7. Warning: Graphic Content

"My boyfriend and I read the same graphic novel together (whether curled up on the couch or on a flight) - over each others shoulder, waiting for the other to finish reading before turning the next page."

-Vienna

8. Laundry Turtle 

“He dumps the laundry on me when it's warm and fresh out of the dryer, and I sort the socks and underwear from inside the pile while he hangs up the shirts and folds the pants. We call it ‘laundry turtle’.”

-thegigglesnort

9. Like a bathroom ropes course 

“Recently we made up this Blindfold Bedtime Routine, where one of us wears a sleep mask and has to do their entire nighttime routine blindfolded. The other person makes sure there are no serious wall collisions or toothbrush catastrophes.”

-sauerhour

10. What’s new, pussy cat? 

“We make up very elaborate stories about our cats lives. 'Where’s Big Cat?' ‘Oh, she’s in Taipei today consulting with the Ukrainian Ambassador about the current standing of the silver industry. She’ll be back later though because tomorrow she’s chartering to Mars at 0600.’”

-undergroundramen

Sometimes it can be hard to remember that you and your partner are, at the heart of it, really good friends. There’s a reason why grandmas like to call your partner your “special friend.” 

And, let's get real, what matters most is taking the time to be thoughtful and intentional in your interactions with your partner—sexy or not. 

So, go ahead... get a little weird :)

And let us know in the comments what you and your partner(s) do to feel close outside of the bedroom!