I can't enjoy romcoms anymore.
When I was younger—much too young to understand love (and let’s be real, I still don’t)—I was obsessed with romcoms. The idea of two people, destined to be together, defying all odds just to end up in each other’s arms was pure magic to me.
Sometimes, they’d start off as enemies, bickering over the smallest things, only to fall head over heels in love. Other times, a holiday visit to their childhood hometown would lead them to rekindle a spark with that old friend who used to annoy them as kids. In three weeks flat, they'd be professing undying love, sealing it with a picture-perfect kiss.
But now? I can’t bring myself to enjoy it as well as I used to.
I've seen too many real-life couples who started off hating each other only to continue... well, hating each other. Best case? They move from loathing to indifference. And that childhood friend-turned-lover? They often realize they’ve grown into entirely different people, and things fall apart. Falling madly in love in three weeks? In reality, it fades just as quickly as it began, once the rose-colored glasses come off.
As if watching these dreams crumble in reality isn't sobering enough, there’s the ever-present specter of divorce. Just because two people are happy now doesn’t guarantee they’ll be in three, five, or even twenty years. Even if they make it to the golden years together, who knows? Keep your fingers crossed.
These days, I find more comfort in stories that end with old age rather than weddings. I’d rather see a couple together in their wrinkled glory, having weathered the storms of life, than a shiny, new romance sealed with a kiss. That’s where the true joy lies.
So when I see a romcom that ends with that classic kiss, I can’t help but wonder, Well, what’s gonna happen next?
