My partner and I don’t get to see each other every day. In fact, we usually only meet once or twice a week, mostly on weekends.
He lives about a 40-minute drive away from me, which might not sound like a big deal to some people. For someone who is a little clingy like me 😂, it’s just far enough to feel like a mini long-distance relationship.
Still, even with the distance and our busy routines, we’ve made it a point to make the most of the time we have together.
Sometimes it’s only a few hours. Sometimes we have a whole lazy weekend together.
Over time, those weekends have become our little pocket of time where we can forget about everything else for a while and simply enjoy being together.
So, what does our quality time actually look like?
Here’s a little look into our weekend bubble.
✅ Our Dates Involve “Put the phones away.”
One of the sweetest things about our relationship is that when we’re together, we barely touch our phones.
No endless scrolling. No sneaky TikToks. No mobile games. No sitting beside each other while replying to messages.
It’s almost like we both silently agreed that once we meet, the rest of the world can wait. For those few hours, it’s just us, fully present with each other.
I love that about us.
At the same time, it used to drive me a little crazy.
I’m someone who loves capturing memories. I like taking photos of places, food, random little details and, of course, us. So after we’ve hugged goodbye and gone our separate ways, I’d sometimes think:
“Wait… we didn’t take a single photo today?”
Not of us. Not of our food. Not even a cute mirror selfie.
Nothing.
I used to complain about this, especially during the first year of our relationship. Of course I wanted more pictures of us. Little reminders of the ordinary days we spent together. Moments I could look back on later.
Deep down, though, I knew how rare it was to spend time with someone without either person constantly checking a screen.
We were simply enjoying each other’s company.
The fact that he values that too, without either of us ever having to say it out loud, has always felt like a quiet little win.
Things started to change once eatery reviews became part of my blog content. Now, one of us will eventually remember that I need photos of the food, the place or whatever we’re doing.
Our phones do come out more often these days.
Thankfully, that means we’ve started capturing more photos of us too.
Though let’s be honest, one of us still has to remind the other to actually take the phone out. 😅
✅ Our Little Weekend Ritual: Food, Always
If there’s one thing that defines our weekends together, it’s food.
Always food.
Our time together doesn’t necessarily involve fancy dinner reservations or picture-perfect outings. We simply like finding somewhere to eat, sitting down together, talking about our week, then figuring out where to go next.
Food has somehow become part of our relationship rhythm. We eat, we talk, we laugh, then we start wondering what we should do next.
Our typical weekend usually goes something like this:
- Lunch, First and Always
Most of the time, lunch starts with a craving I’ve been talking about all week. Other weekends, we simply go with whatever we’re in the mood for.
Lately, we’ve both been enjoying trying new things, so sometimes we’ll randomly pick a restaurant neither of us has been to before. No reviews, no long planning session. We’ll see a place that looks interesting and decide to give it a try.
Some weekends call for something cosy and familiar. Others feel more like a little food adventure.
Either way, lunch is usually where our weekend begins.
- Then Comes the Café
There’s always… always… a stop at a café after lunch.
A proper outing isn’t complete without something sweet, especially my favourite custard pastry, plus a warm coffee to slowly sip while we chat.
My partner knows this about me by now. He doesn’t even question it anymore. He just looks at me and asks, “Where to next?” with a little smile, already knowing I’m probably looking for dessert.
That tiny exchange makes me smile because it’s such a small thing, yet somehow he knows exactly what I’m thinking.
- Sometimes, A Random Walk And Snacks
On weekends when the weather is kind and we feel like slowing down, we’ll switch things up and go for a random walk to see where it takes us.
We might wander around a neighbourhood, browse a few shops, stop somewhere that catches our attention or simply walk until we feel like sitting down again.
Of course, a walk usually comes with snacks. 😂 We’ll grab something along the way, find a place to sit, then continue chatting about whatever comes to mind.
✅ We Often Make Our Dates “Theme Days”
Our weekends don’t always need a detailed plan. Sometimes, giving the day a little theme is enough to make it feel different.
That’s how our theme days started.
It began as a way to avoid the “I don’t know, you pick” conversation when we couldn’t decide where to eat or what to do. Now, it has become one of our favourite little rituals.
We’ll pick a theme for the day, like Korean, Italian, Middle Eastern or even “something we’ve never tried before”.
Then we’ll build the rest of our outing around it.
Sometimes the theme is as simple as trying a type of food we haven’t had in a while. Other times, we’ll make it more adventurous and choose something completely outside our usual choices.
One of my favourite memories was when I told him, “Let’s try something completely different… something we’d never normally pick.”
We ended up at a quirky spot neither of us had even heard of before.
It was completely random, though it turned into one of those dates we still remember.
I like that our theme days give us a reason to step outside our usual routine. We don’t always know where the day will take us, which is exactly what makes it fun.
💡 Fun Fact
We’re just not really a “movie date” couple.
Maybe it’s because we talk too much. 😂
Or maybe sitting silently in a dark room for two hours just doesn’t feel like quality time to us.
Don’t get me wrong. I love a good film.
When we have limited time together, though, I’d rather sit across from him at a restaurant or café and talk for hours.
Our version of a good date usually involves food + deep conversations rather than film + popcorn.
✅ We Still Make An Effort To Date Each Other
Our usual weekends are lovely, though we still make room for something a little more special from time to time.
When we first got together, we made a little deal that has stayed with us.
Every now and then, he has to take me on a “big date.”
Not just our usual weekend hangout, but something a little extra. Getting dressed up, going somewhere new, trying a fancy restaurant we’ve been wanting to visit or planning a little road trip together.
I like having these dates because they give us something to look forward to. I don’t want every weekend to become the same lunch, café, then home routine.
I’m introverted in some ways, especially around people, though I’ve always loved being outdoors. I crave new experiences, spontaneous plans and little adventures.
He knows that about me.
He’s naturally more of a homebody. Going out and trying something new doesn’t always come naturally to him, yet he still does it because he knows how much I enjoy it.
That effort means a lot to me.
I think that’s one of the sweetest things about being with someone. You don’t have to love all the same things. Sometimes, you simply love the person enough to step into their world for a while.
Final Thoughts
Looking at our relationship now, I think one of my favourite things about us is how comfortable we’ve become with each other.
We don’t need to constantly entertain one another. We can spend hours talking, sit quietly for a while, laugh over something completely stupid or change our plans halfway through the day because one of us suddenly has a different idea.
There’s no pressure for every weekend to be memorable.
Somehow, the little things have become our own.
He knows I’ll probably want dessert. I know he’ll ask where we’re going next. We both know one of us will eventually realise we forgot to take photos again.
We surprise each other with little things too.
Sometimes I’ll order his favourite coffee before he even asks for it. Sometimes I’ll cook his favourite meal or pick up a little something I know he’ll like. Other times, he’ll surprise me with something I mentioned wanting weeks ago, even though I’d completely forgotten that I told him about it.
None of these things are big or expensive. We simply pay attention to the little things the other person likes.
Those moments mean more than the gesture itself.
They’re tiny habits and gestures that were never planned. They just became part of us.
Maybe that’s what I love most about spending time with someone you genuinely enjoy being around. You slowly build a little world together without even realising it.
Your own routines. Your own jokes. Your favourite places. The little things only the two of you understand.
Nothing about it has to look impressive from the outside.
It just feels good to have someone who feels like home while still making you excited to get dressed, walk out the door and see what the day brings.
That’s our kind of quality time.
Love,
Auri Duham🌻
