Man Celebrating the 'So Pure and So Comical' Relationship Stage Applauded

It's the moment everyone seems to long for in a relationship: the profession of those three short words. But one creator on TikTok is appreciating the phase inbetween.

In a video, William Seremetis, @willyumgregory, highlighted the humor and sweetness of the relationship phase where two people love each other, but hesitate to say it because it's too early. Since the video was posted on February 2, it has garnered more than 2.4 million views and over 362,000 likes.

Seremetis told Newsweek about his inspiration for the video: an experience with his girlfriend, Kate, where he found himself scrambling for alternative phrases to avoid saying the three words too soon.

"I realized I had very strong feelings for her almost immediately and was falling in love with her more and more every time we hung out," Seremetis said. "I used to say things to her like, 'I really, really like you,' and we'd both smile, understanding what these code words really meant."

Seremetis said his pre-declaration phase did not last very long. He ended up sharing that he loved her around a month into the relationship, and, to his relief, she felt the same way.

"You know that phase of the relationship where both people clearly love each other, but it's way too early in terms of, like, societal standards to actually say 'I love you'?" Seremetis said in the video. "That is the funniest phase of a relationship to me... that phase is so pure and so comical."

"Just say it already," Seremetis said. Instead of using the direct phrase, couples often skirt around directness by expressing their affection through coded language like, "I really, really like you," or "I adore you," Seremetis added in the video.

The TikTok video resonated with viewers, with one commenter, @_shea_sully_ sharing a funny alternative to "I love you": "I am overly fond of you", as if they were "in a British period drama or something."

Seremetis said he found this comment especially funny.

How Do You Know When It's the Right Time?

As someone who has been there, Seremetis has advice for those in the adorable, awkward position of loving someone too soon. He emphasized the importance of trusting one's instincts.

"I personally believe that there definitely is merit in waiting, especially when the lines between love and lust can sometimes become blurry," Seremetis said. "Ultimately, I would say trust your gut, and if it feels right, it feels right."

Experts seem to agree about the murkiness of the love and lust boundary.

Mairead Molloy, relationship consultant and strategist, and global director at "elite dating agency" Berkeley International, previously told Newsweek that the time it takes to understand one's feelings of love, and distinguish them from infatuation, depends on the amount of quality time spent together.

"Some people share their feelings as soon as they notice the first urge to say them," Molloy said. "There's nothing wrong with that, but it doesn't hurt to take some time to think, either. The right time is based on the evolution of the individual relationship."

While Seremetis said there is "nothing better" than mutual love, he added that his audience should keep up hope if it doesn't work out or if the feeling isn't mutual.

"Probably the most difficult barrier to get over is not getting down when things aren't working out. Trust the universe; if it didn't work out, then it wasn't meant to be," Seremetis said.

As couples navigate their own experiences of love, Seremetis' video proves it is possible to find humor and joy in the subtle, if awkward, moments that define connection.