One of the most stereotypical American dates is going out to a movie, maybe dinner before, maybe just popcorn. It is an incredibly low pressure way to spend time with someone, but in the course of your relationship, how meaningful is it really to sit in the dark for two hours and stare at a screen? Sure, everybody likes to be entertained every once in awhile, but there are so many better ways to entertain yourself and your significant other while also getting to know them better. One of my favorite new pastimes with my boyfriend is reading aloud.

I recently had the opportunity to visit my boyfriend in Seattle. I am from Maryland, and being in a long distance relationship means that every minute we get to spend together in person is so much more precious. We don’t have the time to waste on going to the movies when we only see each other a few weeks out of the year. In fact, we don’t even watch television. He doesn’t own one. Instead of sitting down in front of that all-American obsession that is TV, we read to each other in the evenings to unwind.

Over the course of my two week visit, we read the entirety of Edgar Rice Burroughs' “Tarzan of the Apes” and began the “John Carter of Mars” books. The language was flowery and outdated and we often stumbled as we read. We poked fun at the pervasive stereotypes of the early 1900s when Burroughs wrote and his constant sexualization of his male protagonists. Reading to each other gave us something to laugh about and talk about throughout the trip.

Most of all, reading to each other brought us closer together. I will always fondly remember the sound of my boyfriend’s voice reading to me and putting me at ease. I will remember the laughter and jokes we shared. I still smile at the thought of him falling asleep against me as I finished yet another chapter of “John Carter."

Now that my trip is over and I am back home, we continue to read to each other on the phone. We call each night and read a chapter or two before bed. It is comforting to hear the voice of someone you love. Hearing my boyfriend read to me makes me feel like we are not so far apart after all. It is just like I am back sitting on the couch beside him as I did what feels like such a long time ago now. I am certainly glad we did not decide to go to the movies instead.