It's how she laughingly whisper-shouts "cariño!" every time I grab her butt in an inappropriate situation or in a surprising moment, though she knows that I'm always very careful that nobody else notices. It's how she writes me when she's late and let's me know that she considers me, how she constantly works on herself, and we both together on our relationship.
It's the way she looks at me when lying in my arms, raising her head just a little to be able to make that special eye contact, full of love, full of peace. It's the sparkle in her eye when she talks about something that she's excited about, a waterfall of words while I smile and listen.
It's how she raises one side of her lips into a subtle smile when she's doing whatever and I hug her from behind, my cheek against hers. It's how she stands up for herself, when she takes time for herself, when she expresses the need to be alone, taking care of herself.
It's the short laugh that comes naturally every time I whistle suggestively as she walks by me, with or without clothes. It's the deep and self-reflective discussions that we have over a couple (or more) beers after having been mad at each other, untangling the strings of misunderstandings and misguided expectations that led to the argument.
Passion is more than just lust. Don't get me wrong, I do like her being that hot quite a bit and I don't mind the amazing sex, not at all. But I think that our passion about each other derives from the way we treat each other. Maybe it's a self-fulfilling prophecy, as I try to express my passion all the time, sometimes openly, sometimes in secret.
I never get tired of looking at her, hugging her, kissing her, touching her. It has never been out of custom, out of routine. When I don't feel like it, I don't do it. That keeps it being special, I have to feel it. It has to be real.
There are some routines, sure, but as we don't have much time together, especially alone without kids, those routines have been washed out quickly and become special again. And we communicate if we need a change, do something else, break out for a little while.
Communication is a key for passion. Expressing that feeling, those emotions. One of the greatest things is receiving a text message out of the blue, in the middle of work, stating "Tengo ganas de ti." A dry sentence in and of itself, but it whirls up those emotions once again.
I love to watch her progress, in all aspects. To see her master the many challenges she takes on, work her way out of frustrations, find solutions, manage exhaustion and always find paths forward. It's so hot. And then, mind blowing, when we work together on a project, pitching ideas back and forth, meticulously (almost perfectionist) reviewing at each stage to create the best possible outcome. We're an incredible team on all fronts.
We take care of ourselves. A part of passion is the physical attractiveness of the other, and we both take care of that by staying in shape, for many reasons. And we have fun by doing so. Nothing is hotter than being with a woman who feels good in her body. Besides that woman I love telling me how hot I am.
Sharing the passion maintains the passion. Keeping it real keeps it special.
That's why it's been more than 5 years now, and there's no end in sight. Just writing this riles me up quite a bit. Oh my, how I love that woman! Many challenges behind us, many active at the moment, many to come - but lack of passion has never been one, and will never be one.
Thank you for reading. This was for the Weekend-Engagement, Question number 5: How do you keep the passion alive in your relationship?
Big thanks to Galenkp for hosting this each week!