I never knew before I met him
That real happiness
The kind that feels like warm sunshine
Right after a violent thunderstorm
Comes most often in the form of
Half-hidden compliments and
The unexpected bump of his knee
Against mine
As we pretend to watch reality tv
And really just watch each other
Or that movie star romances
Full of moonlight and expensive dinners
Would pale in comparison to
Ben and Jerry’s in the middle of the night
Just because he missed me
And that sometimes
The way he says my name
Assuages my insecurities better than
Any drawn out declaration ever could
I never knew that even after so much time
My heart would still jump to my throat
Like freefalling several stories
Every time I see him
Or that all the ridiculous clichés
That I had scoffed at in the movie theatres
Would turn out to be deliciously true
Just not in the way I expected
And that being in love is nothing more
Than knowing exactly who I want to talk to
First thing in the morning
As my alarm wakes me from dreams
That are no longer better than reality.