pay attention if you're counting stars

I see people say online that the "in love" stage of a relationship, which I understand as the "infatuation" / "excited to love you/be near you" phase, lasts only a year or only three years, and then your feelings calm down and you love each other without being "in love." But I've been with my wife five years and still get excited to be near her, giddy when she hugs me, I grin when she grins and we get each other "just because" gifts all the time.

So... What do you all think about this whole "in love" vs "loving but not in love" thing?

You have always been a creative and passionate girl. And I don't know if you remember this, but when you were young, you had all these characters you would come up with. And you used to have these little shows for your mom and me, using the living room as a stage. I think my favorite was the blind farmer. She would stumble around, bumping into all these furniture, yelling, "Has anyone seen a brown cow?" But in middle school, you had a brief affair with theater, and you were really into drama. But no more blind farmers. It had to be serious. Preferably life or death. But as a teenager, you became an activist and you developed a strong passion for gun control, which you got so serious i had to pick you up from the police one time for egging Walmart employees for selling weapons. It was obvious it came from your big heart, but I have to admit, I think part of it was about you rebelling against your dad too. You know, the dad who works in the military and happens to own a rifle. The same rifle which mysteriously disappeared right around that time. You remember that? Wasn't that a wild coincidence? 

Zendaya as Emma Harwood in The Drama (2026) dir. Kristoffer Borgli

I'm giving the paps my pussycat with no idea I would be in a fang fight less than an hour later.

Jacob Anderson as LOUIS DE POINTE DU LAC