1. They did fun things together. It all started at a carnival. Noah jumped on a carousel just to ask a beautiful girl out on a date. As if that wasn’t enough, Allie had to embarrass him, pulling down his pants before agreeing to a first date. Soon enough, Noah takes Allie to the movies, with other friends tagging along. We all remember what happens next. Noah whispers in Allie’s ear, asking her if she wants to go for a walk. She says yes. Noah takes her out dancing in the street and dares her to do something she’s never done before; lay down in the street and wait for the cars to come, only to run out of the street. This is exciting and something new for Allie. Sharing this experience together is something special.
Noah knows this is something she’s never done before and wants to get to know Allie for who she really is. Cue the many dates that follow: getting ice cream together, scenic bike rides, going dancing, swimming, jumping off rope swings into the lake and going to the beach. A summer romance at its best. They shared experiences and made memories together.
2. They made each other laugh. Who doesn’t remember Allie laughing as she licks ice cream off of Noah's face? Or when Noah demands Allie to get in the water and then apologizes? Enough said.
3. They had their differences. Allie comes from a wealthy family and has demanding parents that want her to go to college in the fall to become a nurse. Noah lives with his father and going into the military is his only option once the summer ends. Noah wants to make a life with Allie, building her the house she has always dreamed of, complete with a wrap around porch, painted white with blue shutters and a room to paint in. But regardless of their differences, the two come together in love. They let themselves get to know each other and spend time with each other. They don’t judge each other for their differences, but rather embrace each other for the person they are and most importantly, support each other.
4. They fought. At times, Allie and Noah got frustrated with each other and with the reality of their seemingly impossible future. Most of the time they fought. But what they did agree on were their feelings for each other. The narrator of the movie tells us they were crazy about each other. Ultimately, their differences only brought them closer.
5. They were honest with each other. The best quote of the entire movie. Cue scene, Noah, beard and all (in the front yard of the house he built for Allie with his own two hands):
“So it's not gonna be easy. It's going to be really hard; we're gonna have to work at this everyday, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, everyday. You and me... everyday.” (Nicholas Sparks)
6. The others didn't matter. After their summer together, both Allie and Noah meet other partners. Allie gets engaged to another man and Noah fills his time alone with different desperate and lonely women. But when fate, or an ad in the newspaper, brings the two together again, the others don’t matter or come in between what Allie and Noah had together. They both know in their hearts what they shared was something special and irreplaceable. It was love. Noah tells Allie, “It wasn’t over. It still isn’t over.” Noah loves Allie enough to give her space, space to let her decide what she wants in life and who she wants to marry.
Spoiler Alert: Allie makes the right decision and marries Noah, who has always loved her.
7. They wrote letters. Noah wrote Allie 365 letters. Eventually, Allie reads these letters her mother once hid from her, crying as she tears envelope after envelope to read Noah's words. Some may say letter writing is old fashioned. But there’s something to be said about being able to write down in words how much you love someone.
8. They loved each other until their last day. Again, Spoiler Alert, for the few people who haven’t seen the movie: the movie ends in a retirement home, where Allie passes away with Noah in bed by her side. It is soon after Allie passes that Noah follows, as if neither partner can live a day without their other half.
If that isn’t true love, then I don’t know what is.
