When a new semester unwraps itself, so does a season of love, lust, and infatuation. The boy you always found cute starts lurking on your Instagram or you catch the eye of someone from across the bookshelf in the library. Either way, the chemistry is undeniable…or is it? Most relationships in college are undefined or rather stamped with the big red letters “FWB” which can leave holidays like Valentine’s Day feeling awkward and complicated. Buying a gift when you just started seeing someone can feel like walking on eggshells: are flowers too much of a romantic gesture for someone you’ve gone out to dinner with twice?
Whether you’re in a situationship, new friendship, or serendipitous-astrologically-compatible- straight-out-of-a-romantic-comedy fling; here are the best gifts to buy someone whose middle name you have not yet learned (AKA you two just started dating).
- Chocolate Covered Fruit
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Ah, chocolate-covered strawberries; the trademark fruit of romance, sensuality, and pure Valentine’s Day bliss. The old saying “the way to someone’s heart is through their stomach” is completely true no matter the time of year, but especially during the season of romance. But newsflash, strawberries aren’t the only fruit that is compatible with chocolate. If you pride yourself on being unpredictable and one-of-a-kind, your gift should be too. Mandarin oranges, kiwis, and blueberries are all tasty options to dip in chocolate. Make sure to find out which chocolate bae likes because there are some oddballs out there, like me, that prefer dark chocolate over milk chocolate (it just tastes more expensive!).
- Netflix Gift Card
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There is seriously nothing more casually romantic than a night spent watching Netflix together. So, you might as well start pitching in on the Netflix subscription. Now your partner can use that ten dollars a month to treat themselves instead of paying for their monthly Netflix subscription. Slip the gift card into a cute v-day themed envelope and spend the rest of your steamy night Netflix and chilling.
- Their Favorite Drink
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There’s a beverage for every type of relationship. Hooking up? Vodka. Undefined and mostly sexual? Wine. Aspirational long term relationship but not quite there yet? Their Starbucks order with a handwritten note on the cup. Wanting to be more than friends? Milkshake or well, if they’re a health nut, maybe a smoothie would be a more appropriate option. Bonus points if you bring them a non-alcoholic beverage while they’re at work or cramming in the library. I promise they’ll Snapchat their friends about it.
- Buy Their Dog a Gift
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There’s a reason people put pictures of their dogs in their Tinder profile. When you start dating them, you also start dating their best friend also known as their dog. If you feel like buying your new partner a gift for Valentine’s Day would be extremely awkward, consider buying their dog a gift instead. Maybe you’ll get lucky and get to snuggle with their dog that night.
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Can’t Go Wrong With a Candle
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Do you smell that? Yep, that’s modern romance, the kind where you and bae can watch TV with a buttercream frosting scented candle wafting through the air. Mmm, yeah, sexy, I want cupcakes so bad right now.
- Succulents
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Flowers are so last season and by last season, I mean four decades ago. Succulents are all the rage in 2020. Besides, if you feel like a bouquet is too much of a grand gesture, a plant is super chill and super casual.
- A Cheese Board
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If your bae is both a foodie and home decor lover, a cheese board is a way to go. Whether the board is marble, crystal, or wood, slap some high-quality stinky cheese on that thing and call it a day.
- A Class Pass
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Plan a themed date night! Surprise bae with a class whether it’s a spin class, yoga class, cooking class, painting class, the list goes on!
- Fill Up Their Tank
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Sometimes, the smallest gestures are the ones that leave the longest impression. If your partner takes you out to dinner, offer to fill their tank. It’s a huge relief and will show you have long term relationship qualities (or that you’re sugar daddy/momma material).
- A Board Game
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Buy a fun board game for two people (or four, if you’re down for a double date) and have a game night complete with snacks and a sweet Spotify playlist.
Valentine’s Day is ultimately what you make of it. So, if you decide to spend it with someone special just make sure to plan the week before what the holiday means to each of you. Honest communication is always the best way to define expectations. But it never hurts to bring a small gift to show your partner that you care about them.