One summer night, as I laid in bed watching another cheesy horror movie, I received an unexpected text from my boyfriend. It was about ten o'clock and he was coming back from a baseball game. Before I opened the text, I just assumed it was going to be a simple "Heading back from the game now. How are you?" text.

But it was so much more than that. He expressed to me how lucky he felt to be my boyfriend. I was so taken aback by this, given the fact that this type of talk is more common during Valentine's Day, anniversaries, and important milestones within relationships. Yet, it was just an ordinary Thursday night; there was nothing special about it.

At first, I wanted to ask him, "Is everything okay?" I wondered if he was babbling because it was late and he'd been so overworked that week. But then I realized that maybe he was just being honest. I don't know what thoughts or feelings came into his head, but he felt compelled to share them with me.

I answered him with a simple, "Yeah?", signaling for him to tell me more. And that's exactly what he did; he kept sharing his feelings. I'm not about to screenshot all of our private texts, but he made me feel very special, appreciated, and loved.

screenshot taken by me

It's not like this is the first time he expressed his deep feelings before; he's done it in the past when the moment was right. But I think what made this exchange of feeling so unique and powerful was that it came out of the blue, without any expectations. It was just raw feelings.

I told him how blown away and thankful I was for him tapping into his emotions. I think he was caught off guard by my reaction. He probably didn't even think that he was revealing all these deep feelings for me; perhaps he was just speaking from the heart.

There's a stereotype surrounding women being highly emotional. It seems as if this assumption has created a stigma regarding men being stone-cold and unemotional. But this way of believing is absurd; sharing your feelings and opening up to someone shouldn't have to do with biology.

If your feelings for someone are so strong, you should tell them. A girlfriend telling her boyfriend for the first time that she loves him is neither more nor less meaningful or 'romantic' than a boyfriend telling his girlfriend for the first time that he loves her. A strong relationship is centered around truth and honesty, both of which can be expressed by opening up to one another.

When you share your emotions, you're being very vulnerable because, essentially, your words can either be met with acceptance and appreciation or rejection and criticism. Showing vulnerability is a major sign someone seriously cares about you and trusts you.

Girls love, and I mean LOVE when guys share their emotions. It doesn't make them look weak or sappy, but it brings out a gentle side that women love. Every relationship, regardless of length, deserves the quality of being genuine and honest. Women value truthfulness and candor, and this is why they appreciate it so much when their men open up to them.

So, boys, if you have the chance to build trust in your relationship AND come across as sexy while doing it, what're you doing?! Let keep those heart-to-hearts coming!

taken by me