When it comes to romantic relationships, we have all been told that there should never be secrets between us and our romantic partners.
But sometimes, those have to be small, harmless secrets that have nothing to do with dark subjects like affairs, secret identities, or even blatant lies.
Redditor bw162 asked:
"What's the biggest secret you have been hiding from your partner?"
The Whistle Chaser
"My husband can't whistle. He always tries, but he just can't get it. One day while out hiking with our dogs, the dogs went too far ahead so my husband tried to whistle for them."
"The first few attempts, nothing happened. So I whistled for them. Apparently, my husband was trying to whistle at the same time and he heard my whistle and thought it was him. He was so proud! Just grinning from ear to ear."
"I didn't have the heart to tell him it was me, still don't. It was so cute to see how happy he was."
- ImposterJ
The Importance Of Midnight Snacks
"Probably how many snacks I really sneak at midnight."
- TenderElise
"If we're not meant to have midnight snacks, then why is there a light in the fridge?"
- sexy__zombie
An Uno-Reverse Card
"I've always known he takes Viagra."
"I think he'd say his biggest secret is that he takes Viagra."
- WishfulWoes
"As a 58-year-old divorced man who is dating again, one of the nicest things my girlfriend did for me was to let me that she knew that I used Cialis and made sure she let me know it was okay."
"I don’t know your boyfriend's situation obviously, but it may save him some anxiety to let him know you know and that you are cool with it."
- buddhahat
Such A Fun Surprise!
"As someone who absolutely hated dancing and always declined invitations to go dancing, I've learned the basic steps of Bachata which is her favorite dance."
"I'm not sure how long I'll keep it a secret. I'm just waiting for the right moment to reveal this surprise."
- IxdrowZeexl
So Wholesome
"I beat my wife in every video game! I purposefully lose at 'Puyo Puyo Tetris' because she likes it and it's the only way for me to enjoy her company while playing."
- angu_m
A Double Engagement
"When he proposes to me, I have an engagement watch for him."
"My dad gave it to me a few months into dating him and said that I could do what I wanted with it. It’s been five years, and all I need is a nice box and ribbon."
"The watch is a breitling aerospace. My dad and his dad collected watches so we would often inherit ones. They collected them when luxury brands were ‘more affordable.’ The timing wasn’t due to me starting to date my boyfriend, just that my dad flew over to get a few older ones serviced as we grew up overseas. He just wanted to bring a gift."
- Shams_the_only
Small Gestures
"I have a box of little crochet critters in the garage, that I make when I'm bored/in-between clients. I let my fiance know that if anyone at work would like one (she's a hospice nurse) she can just take them from the box, no questions asked."
"That's what I told her, anyway."
"The secret is that I purposefully make stuff for her to take. I even have a lil spreadsheet so I know what animals/colors are the most popular, and make sure that there are always spares."
"Obviously, I don't know WHO they go to, because of confidentiality, but I try to get as big a range as I can."
- CrazySnekGirl
The Thought That Counts
"It’s not really a secret anymore because I cracked up the last time I saw him do it but when he used to make me impossible burgers he would use a meat thermometer to make sure that it was 'safe' to eat like a normal burger."
"It was so sweet that I didn’t want to tell him I could probably eat them raw if I wanted. They were also like chewing a brick. I love that man."
- RissaSharp
Follow The Crowd
"We’ve been together for five years We met at a football game, and our biggest thing in common is our love for 'our team,' so every Sunday for years, we've gotten together to watch the games with her family."
"I’m not really into football. I was at the game we met at because someone bought tickets and I was off, so sure, why not?"
"And I’ve never really understood the rules, so for YEARS anytime the family cheers, I just follow with cheers, and when they BOOOO, I do the same."
- Both-Overcome1586
A Terrible Family Secret
"I don't think his youngest son is his. The story about how this child came to be is very shady. Between having his vasectomy reversal and how low he said his count is. Combined with the fact that he caught the boys' mom cheating during the time they were trying, and how fast she came back with the paternity results, it all feels very wrong."
"13 years later, when we are talking about his youngest, he always brings up how similar they look. I just agree. This kid looks nothing like him or his other two kids."
"My boyfriend is 5'7 blue eyes black hair with a lean build. The youngest is already over 6 feet tall brown eyes, brown hair, and kinda chubby. His mom is very slim, blue eyes and blonde hair."
"He wanted to get them all 23 and me for Christmas; I talked him out of it; I think it would ruin Christmas for him if it came out."
- Cramit82
"It sounds like he suspects it too, but with the constant comments trying to reassure himself, they look alike, as do the 23andMe. I think it’s kind of you to try to delay him knowing for sure. (It’s also very possible the kid is his and just takes after a grandparent or something.)"
- Seriouspillowfight
Family Ties
"That I don't like his family. I'm kinda scared of them."
- Background-Ad2612
"I have always taken the tact of keeping my family at arm's length, and this shocked my wife because her family was 'close.' It turns out 'close' means her sister only used her for free babysitting, and her father spent every conversation berating her about anything he could think of."
"Now we give our respective families the Heisman as a team, and it's awesome. Her mom is great, though; no Heisman for her."
- SimpinOnGinAndJuice1
For Romance Or For Papers?
"I want to marry him much sooner than I thought but also as an immigrant, I worry if bringing that up will raise any eyebrows and cause him or his family and friends to think that I want to do this to get permanent residence quickly. So I've been working extra hard to qualify for it on my own."
- Few-Music7739
"That is cute and sad at the same time. Wishing you all the best that your partner sees your love and isn't blinded by prejudice!"
- Takhoyaki
A Good Sport
"If I'm stuck on a game, she will casually suggest things I could try without right telling me the answer."
"She will go very quiet, go on her phone and then say 'hmm I wonder does this game have any buffs to your lightning damage' or 'Ooh, a dragon, he looks like he wouldn't like ice damage very much.'"
"I know she is googling things but I pretend like I don't because she gets so excited when her hints work and she thinks she helped me work it out organically."
- mr_rocket_raccoon
...Oops.
"She farts in her sleep. LOUD."
- Higanbana_
"I farted, and my husband started laughing like a child, and I was woken up. He told me why he was laughing... I was tired, and now irritated that I got woke up."
"I look at him and am like, 'You woke me over this s**t...'" I didn't register what I said until he went into a howling fit and fell off the bed. 19 years later, he tells people my first fart knocked him out of bed."
- CyclonsInAPoliceBox
The One That Meant The World
"We both recently got into Magic the Gathering. For me, it was a return after 25 years of not playing, and she was new. We both were looking for a hobby to enjoy together to help us get our minds off of the devastating two years we’d just fought through."
"It was two years of cancer diagnosis, heartbreaking surgeries/doctor visits, and losing her two dogs (they were her children), all while trying to finish the last year of her PhD (in cancer research of all things)."
"Anyhow, the cataloging, sorting, playing, trading, and collecting seemed to put her in a quiet place where she could turn her thoughts to something else and just heal. She even played in her first tournament at Gencon."
"She jumped in with both feet and opening booster packs and finding cards with value seemed to light her up in a way I hadn’t seen since we started down our war on cancer."
"The problem is, she never seemed to have the luck I did with finding chase rares, and with the latest set being totally her jam (small cute animals), she wants them all."
"So, I ordered a bundle of collector boosters and the very expensive raised foil rabbit card she was looking for, cut open a booster, slid it in, and resealed it well enough so she wouldn’t notice."
"Seeing her open that pack, hearing her voice shake in concert with her hands, and watching that fleeting panic that she’d damage the card transition to pure joy was incredible."
"I feel a twinge guilty about it, but I’ll take the secret with me to my grave. She thinks she got super lucky with finding an incredibly rare card."
"It’s a small thing, but it meant the world to her."
- randompanda
When we think of secrets in marriages, we unfortunately usually think of bad things, like an affair or a second family, so it's heartwarming to see such wholesome responses.
From finding special collector editions to letting our best friends win, these are secrets that have been kept for the best possible reasons.
