I think one of the most underrated elements of a romantic relationship is not necessarily whether the two people have a lot in common or get along very well but, rather, is the other person someone you enjoy doing nothing with; do you want to waste your time with them? Does their sheer presence, without uttering a word or glancing in your direction, make you feel better or warm inside?

When meeting new people and potentially entering into new relationships, one of the first things I think about is whether this is a person who I connect with, and enjoy being with so much that we don’t need to be doing anything in order to have a good time. Fancy dinners or evenings out can be fun with many different people; however, I believe that truly meaningful relationships are founded on whether or not you can have a great time together regardless of the setting or pretenses.

Walking in circles while holding hands, and simply talking for hours, can be fun dates. So can sitting down to watch television sitcom reruns and lying in bed for hours talking, even after you’ve both declared you’re tired, simply because you both don’t want to wrap up the conversation. It’s like every time you are together you don’t want the moment to end because you know when you leave each other those same things won’t be as fun.

Deep down I hope to find someone who I want to waste my time with because when I’m with them the time isn’t really wasted, at all.