31 TV Characters Who Are The Reason To Keep Watching A Show
We asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which TV characters were the reason people kept watching a show. Here are some of the best responses:
Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds
"Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds needs to be on this list. He was the reason I kept coming back week after week. He deserved so much more and the writers always found something new to hurt him with season after season."—angelasn1179
Lafayette Reynolds from True Blood
"He was the reason a lot of people kept coming back even after the show jumped the shark. His character was golden. He was sassy, funny, witty, true to himself, and he deserved every happiness."—thia_m
Petra Solano from Jane the Virgin
"One of the best character arcs from any TV show. She started as a 'villain' and ultimately became the reason to tune in every week."—mythrip
Santana Lopez from Glee
"So much of her talent took a backseat to Rachel Berry, which wasn't fair. Santana's coming out storyline was one that I related to so much. I still remember hearing about her story with Brittany and that was when I started watching."—mcbrizzy30
Mike Chang from Glee
"Harry Shum Jr. as Mike was amazing. He was sidelined so much and I remember in most songs my eyes naturally went to him no matter who was singing. Mike and Brittany dancing during 'Valerie' alongside Santana were absolutely amazing."—amnahasan
Cheryl Blossom from Riverdale
Lena Luthor from Supergirl
"I've watched Supergirl religiously since the beginning and while I love Kara, Alex, Nia, and more, Lena Luthor is one of the reasons I've stuck with this show so long. Katie McGrath always impresses me in every single scene she's in and I'm so sad this show [ended] because it [meant] saying goodbye to Lena Luthor."—noradominick
Stiles Stilinski from Teen Wolf
"Stiles Stilinski, hands down. Stiles was always the most entertaining character, but Dylan O'Brien absolutely BLOSSOMED during Season 3 of Teen Wolf."—coril
Poussey Washington from Orange Is the New Black
"Hands down, Poussey. Her legacy has gone way past the legacies of the series, TBH."—annemieke73
Spencer Hastings from Pretty Little Liars
"The first few seasons of PLL were good, but by the time it reached the time jump, it was awful. However, Spencer stayed iconic throughout the entire show. She was smart, witty, kind, strong, and confident. I could go on for hours about why she's the best character on this show. She always felt like the true main character and I was completely invested in her during all seven seasons."—philbainerr12
Castiel from Supernatural
"The show was on for such a long time and it started to feel like it NEEDED to end, however Cas is who made it watchable until the very end."—fionaconner19
Cristina Yang from Grey's Anatomy
"Grey's Anatomy noticeably went downhill after Sandra Oh left. Cristina Yang was such a vital part of the story and her role in such a mainstream show felt really empowering to the Asian community. She was definitely the best part of Grey's."—districtrue
Lexie Grey from Grey's Anatomy
Logan Echolls from Veronica Mars
"Logan Echolls needs to be included on this list. His character development was incredible. I love him so much and he deserved so much better than the horrific ending he got. He was the reason I kept returning to Veronica Mars."—joseelacroix7
Margo Hanson from The Magicians
"She was snobby and elitist in the first season, but by the end of the show she was my favorite character. Watching her grow into the strong woman she was meant to be was worth enduring the Season 1 version of her character. She truly carried the final seasons and outshone everyone else."—lardneremilymarie
Lexa from The 100
"Lexa deserved so much better than The 100 and the show definitely went downhill after her death. This character deserved a full and beautiful storyline and she was the reason a lot of people watched." —avacado_thanks
Lincoln from The 100
"Lincoln was one of the only reasons I continued to watch The 100. When he was killed off, right after Lexa, I was so done."—estathom
Brooke Davis from One Tree Hill
"Brooke Davis carried One Tree Hill through all nine seasons! I love this show, but there sure are crappy parts, however Brooke always made it bearable. Sophia Bush did an incredible job and brought a truly amazing, badass character to life. Brooke had incredible character development and turned from a typical TV cheerleader into a strong and powerful woman."—mareng49dd7659a
Bonnie Bennett from The Vampire Diaries
"She repeatedly put her own wants and needs on the back burner to help save her friends and asked for nothing in return. Everyone just expected her to put her life on the line to save Elena's life without even asking her or considering her feelings, but she always did it anyway without one complaint. Bonnie was the true MVP of the show until the very end."—jeffatkinsgirl
Hope Mikaelson from Legacies
"Legacies is honestly the weakest of all The Vampire Diaries shows, but I still watch it because of how badass Hope is."—emmaloveschocolate
Killian Jones/Hook from Once Upon a Time
"I started watching the show only because of him. In the beginning the show was okay, but after Season 5 I only continued watching because of Hook."—sawyea
Rufus Carlin and Jiya from Timeless
"Personally, I think the show was literally 10 times better when the focus was on one of these characters. I got so bored whenever Lucy or Wyatt were on screen. But when Rufus or Jiya came on? Completely different show."—matdyjames
Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer
"I loved his character arc and there were definitely times when the show was lagging and I only watched for him."—jaxon621
Glenn Rhee from The Walking Dead
"I stopped watching around the time where they faked Glenn's death before he ultimately met his end thanks to Negan. I haven't watched to this day because I hated what they did to him and he was the reason I kept watching. Why did all the decent people on this show have to be killed so horribly?"—phil84vaive
Michonne from The Walking Dead
"Danai Gurira continued to carry The Walking Dead after Andrew Lincoln left and the show had definitely started to get better again. She played such a vital role in the later seasons."—femkat
Jake Ballard from Scandal
"Once Scott Foley entered the series, he became the reason I stuck with it to the end. I love Kerry Washington, but Jake was the character I rooted for. Scott's weekly performances were riveting because his character was relentless. I took it personally when the series ended with him in prison. He deserved the sun!"—mj2005
Winston Bishop from New Girl
"Winston needs his own show. He is truly the best character from New Girl."—jenniferlopez2
Miles Hollingsworth and Lola Pacini from Degrassi: Next Class:
"I loved them together as a couple, but even as individual characters, they both stole the show. Miles was one of the most complex, interesting characters in a long time and Eric Osborne's acting was phenomenal. Lola ended up being a surprise favorite of mine with her Season 3 storyline. I would have watched an entire spinoff just about the two of them."—kellymartinez
Lois Lane from Smallville
"She gets a lot of hate because some fans prefer Clark with Lana, but honestly, Lois made the show so much better with her humor and attitude. She was one of the reasons I stuck with Smallville."—dianascarlettaprilmason
Wes Gibbins from How to Get Away with Murder
"Wes was definitely one of the best characters on How to Get Away with Murder. I kept tuning in because I loved his relationships with Annalise, Laurel, and all of the other characters. When he died, it was hard to replace the magic he brought to the show."—noradominick
And finally, Kenzi Malikov from Lost Girl
"She remains such an entertaining character to this day. Lost Girl is filled with strong characters, but Kenzi was one of the reasons I kept coming back for more."—ana5289
We can't fit everyone into one post, so which TV characters did you love so much, they're the reason you kept watching a TV series? Tell us in the comments below!
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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
"I Was A Dirty Little Secret For The Better Part Of 10 Years": People Who Had "Secret" Relationships Share What Happened And Why They Were Secret
Not all love stories are designed to be flaunted on Instagram. Some of the most thrilling romances actually are better served outside of the public eye. Some of the most exciting and memorable romances are often messy, complicated, and hidden behind locked screens and whispered phone calls. And despite how convoluted it could get, they leave a lasting impression, for better or for worse. Whether it was a forbidden office romance, a love affair that crossed cultural lines, or a situationship that never made it to 'Instagram official,' people have found themselves in secret relationships for way longer than they ever planned. I recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to spill the tea on the relationships they kept under wraps — and their stories range from heartbreaking to jaw-dropping. From being someone's 'dirty little secret' to uncovering the truth about why the secrecy started in the first place, these confessions will have you side-eyeing your situationship real quick. Note: Some submissions have been taken from this Reddit thread. 1."I'm still not ready to tell my kids about my girlfriend. However, I'm sure they suspect, as my ex has made several off-hand comments about me dating again." "We had been keeping the secret from my girlfriend's children for a bit, and when they caught on, I got a lot of 'My mommy and daddy are still in love' comments." —purpleorc394 2."I am in one right now. It's not a total secret, my friends know her and like her, but I've been keeping it from my mom, the most important person in the world to me, and it's really hard." "My mom lives in the Bay Area, and I split my time between there and LA depending on my work schedule. A couple of months ago, I met a girl, J, at a bar in Hollywood, and we had an instant connection. She makes me so happy, and I feel like I am falling in love. But I can't share that happiness with my mom. We talk on the phone every day, sometimes multiple times a day, and when I first met J, I told my mom I had made a new friend. She told me not to get involved romantically because I would be coming back to the Bay Area soon and should focus my attention on a guy in the Bay that I had expressed interest in a while ago. I told her I couldn't make any promises about that, and she said, 'Do what you want, but I don't want to hear about it.' I agreed. Fast forward a couple of weeks: I stayed the night at J's house, and my mom called me at 7 a.m. because she had checked my location and saw that I wasn't at my apartment. I told her I was at a friend's house, and when she asked who, I told the truth. She started freaking out, so I insisted it was platonic. She made me promise, and I lied to her. Since then, my feelings for J have only gotten deeper, and I have been lying to my mom on a daily basis about what I am doing and who I am with. It makes me feel like a terrible person, but I'm scared that if I come clean, she will never forgive me." —Anonymous, 25, Los Angeles 3."When I was 32, I had a brief affair with a friend. His wife was bi and had recently moved in with her girlfriend. It appeared to all of us that the friend and his wife were going to make the separation permanent (the friend certainly thought so)." "After we'd been together about a month, the friend's wife took notice. After three months had passed, she decided she wanted to keep her husband after all and came back. I was offered the chance to stay, too, if I agreed to be shared by both of them. I declined, and eventually moved far away. I found them a couple of years ago on Facebook. They're still together. I didn't contact them." —Anonymous, 63, Arizona 4."She tried flirting with him, and he was friendly but didn't seem interested. She kinda gave up after that, but whenever we were there, she would bring up how hot he is. About a month later, I was there without her, and I noticed he kept looking my way, so I made eye contact and smiled. By the end of the night, we were flirting and exchanged numbers. It was really exciting having to keep him a secret, I got a thrill from going to the bar and pretending I didn't know him and having other guys try to hit on me in front of him." "One night, she was pretty drunk at the bar and went up to him and asked him if he wanted to go home with her. He ended up telling her that he has been eyeing me. He wanted an actual relationship, and I used my friend as an excuse to avoid that, but she told him that he needs to make the first move.. I got bored because it wasn't a secret anymore, so I ended it. Don't worry, this was in my early 20s, and I've since gone to therapy." —Anonymous, 31 5."When I was in my early 20s, I worked at a country club. I was always at the front desk as the membership rep. One day, an older man came in with his wife; he brought the VIP package, so I was doing my best to make him happy. He took a liking to me, and soon enough, we were sneaking away every chance we got." "I only broke things off when at a party for the club, I heard him telling some of his male friends that they could have a turn with me. My best friend was livid when she found out, but since she worked at the club too, she did little things to ruin his time there. Being young and dumb doesn't excuse what I did, but it is a great way of explaining how stupid I was." —Anonymous, 30, South Carolina 6."I once started dating a guy from work. We kept it on the DL because we didn't want anyone there to know. He was also recently divorced. I basically moved in with him, and we spent 24/7 together for several months. However, he was always paranoid about me being seen on the ring camera or leaving things around the house when visitors came." "He said his ex was crazy and still had access to the cameras through an app. I started getting suspicious, but I'd met some of his friends and was young and naive, so I believed that to be true. Fast forward a few months, and he gets relocated for work…to where his ex lives. I found out on Facebook a year later that they're still married. We had called it off once he moved, but I was the side chick while they were long-distance and truly had no idea. Moral of the story - listen to your gut!!" —Anonymous, 29, Nevada 7."I was 17 and he was 20." —Anonymous 8."When I was 21, I started seeing a 30-year-old. My mom was super religious, and I still lived at home, so I would sneak out when she went to bed to go to his place. We had a rule of no sleepovers; we both didn't want a relationship, and I think he was afraid I would get confused if I spent the night. He was the first one to show me what it's like to have a man cater to me and put my pleasure before their own. He helped me find my voice and be confident when it came to asking for what I want and letting a guy know what didn't feel good. Looking back, the age gap is a bit too much at that age, but I am thankful for him. He was really respectful and attentive." —Anonymous 9."My secret relationship is the necessary kind as opposed to the fun and exciting kind. I'm a trans man, and my partner is still in the closet. We're both bisexual, but he's never gone public about his relationships and sexual encounters with men, while I've been openly bisexual since I was 13." "It killed me at first to try to hide things, but over time I've just gotten used to it. I used to feel like he was embarrassed or ashamed of me, but then I met his family, and I understood he was just trying to protect me. His parents are older (closer in age to my grandparents than to my own parents) and unfortunately, quite close-minded, so they don't know that we're together (they just think we're housemates) and they don't know I'm trans either (thankfully, I pass well or this would be a much more awkward conversation). His brothers are even worse, one of them talks openly about wanting to kill all gay people and stuff like that... So there's a good reason to keep me in the closet. It's a generational thing too, I think; he's a bit older than me and grew up at a time when men couldn't be open about being gay or bi, and he's had a hard time moving on from that mindset. We also work together, and he just wants to avoid the gossip, which I agree my friends and family are all open-minded and accepting of him and our relationship, so at least I don't have to hide with *everyone*. My parents have treated him like family since day one, he's great friends with my younger brother, and my grandparents absolutely love him. My friends get along great with him too, and he often gets invited along to our outings.I do hope someday he won't have to hide like this anymore, but until then, this is what we live with. Our five-year anniversary is in June, and we've been living together for three years, so the relationship itself is definitely going well... the circumstances he's in just force us to hide it. Is it worth it? For him, yes, but if we break up at some point, I'm not doing this again for someone else. A secret relationship like this is incredibly hard on the partner who was previously out and now has to go back in the closet, and most people don't consider that; they just focus on how hard things are for the still-closeted partner." —Anonymous, 30, Canada 10."It was a hot, messy, scandalous affair." "He was a successful and celebrated musician. We both were in relationships with other people. We genuinely loved each other and probably wished that it could be something more 'normal', but life didn't work like that. It was the kind of relationship that caused a buzz of electricity when we were in a room together, and everyone could feel it. He died unexpectedly, going on six years now. The day after he died, I was at a cemetery caring for a loved one's grave. I could sense the weight of it all, and at that moment, a car with a personalized plate drove by. The plate said 'LOVU4EVR' and I believe it." —Anonymous, 52, Canada 11."20 years after high school, a girl I knew then reached out and asked me to lunch. She told me how successful she and her husband were, and how wonderful their family was. Within 2 weeks, she caught him cheating and was over at my place doing things best not mentioned at meals. This went on for over 10 years. Once she and her husband finally split up, there was no more fun in our secret. She hooked up with the first guy that talked to her, and I retired. Everyone is happy. Even the cuckold." —Anonymous, 53, Denver 12."At first, it's fun and incredibly exciting! Sneaking around, stealing kisses, and spontaneous rendezvous for some action. Then basically, all your friends catch on since it's impossible not to be somewhat obvious. On top of that, people in a secret relationship normally can't keep their mouths shut and tell one person, making them swear not to tell anyone, but they will. "Overall, it's an awesome charade that can become pretty fulfilling, and mostly no one in your inner circle will care unless you are cheating. That's just quick gratification with long-lasting ramifications. I was in a 3 year relationship that began as a secret. Great experience and would never trade it for anything." –u/Hooligan_Hardguy 13."This is a throwaway for good reason. In my freshman year of college, I had been dating a girl for 3 years. She went to a different school at the time, so I didn't see her much, and the long-distance thing took a toll. About a month into my first semester, I met this girl in one of my classes. She was incredibly good-looking and very sweet. I had developed a bit of a crush on her, but it was nothing serious, just a bit of daydreaming. Then one day, I got a message on Facebook from her asking if she wanted to help me review her essay. She claimed to have read something of mine and really liked my writing style. I thought it was odd because she would always sit next to and talk to this other guy in class, and had never actually spoken to me. So, I met with her in the library and we started talking." "It went from just talking about school and working on class stuff to just generally hanging out. No intention of a relationship or anything, just friends. Well, as the semester progressed, we got closer. My girlfriend still didn't know about her. Although we had never done anything, we spent a lot of time together. We would walk around campus at night, hang out, talk about stuff, and so on. I was really falling for her. Around that time, she got a boyfriend and was very happy, and I was happy for her. About 2 weeks later, she calls me at 2 a.m., crying because he dumped her because she wouldn't put out (she was abstinent until marriage). I met with her the next day to comfort her, and she looked at me... You know the look. The way she looked at me made me feel a way I hadn't felt in a long time. It was an innocent, sweet, loving look. I almost kissed her. Almost. I stopped myself because I knew it would be bad. Then, my girlfriend found out I had been spending time with her. I hadn't done anything most would consider cheating, but I lied to her frequently about where I was and what I was doing. She was crushed and very upset. I loved my girlfriend more than the infatuated feelings I had for this other girl. I stopped hanging out with the girl and eventually stopped talking to her altogether. About a year later (we would text from time to time or talk when we ran into one another), I had to tell her how I felt. I had to get it off my chest. I went to her place late at night, and I told her everything. How I missed her, how I cared about her, how she made me feel, and so on. She told me that the feeling was mutual and that she had often thought about what a relationship between us would be like... I told her goodnight and left. I haven't talked to her since. My girlfriend has forgiven me for what I did, but to be honest, I still think about her sometimes, and I miss her." –u/Mouse_Bites 14."Basically, I was in love with a girl who loved me, but was more in love with her best friend. Her best friend was extremely possessive and kind of a terrible person, and didn't want to share her. It bordered on abuse and manipulation, but I couldn't convince her otherwise. So our relationship was a complete secret. Long story short, I ended up getting my heart broken, while she ended up with the person she really wanted to be with. We didn't talk for several months, and I just pretty much numbed myself to the pain. We just started talking again recently, actually, but I'm very guarded around her. For as much as I cared about her, I'll never do something so stupid again. It makes it hard to trust people." –u/knightwave 15."I was a dirty little secret for the better part of 10 years (on and off). It sucked. He was insistent on not openly dating me, but everyone in his circle knew about me. His refusal to be open about it just hurt me (though he always had a good excuse.)" "Last we talked, he told me he was openly dating, and giving everything I asked for to a trailer girl with four kids who never graduated from high school. (I hold two degrees from a top-ranked university) So I declared him 'dead to me' 6 months ago and have never felt better." –u/Kopannie 16."Badly. We worked together and ended up dating for about a year and a half. During that time, he met my family, we went away for the weekend, did all that couple stuff, etc. But the ENTIRE time, he was completely paranoid about people at work finding out. There could be no pictures on social media, we couldn't go to work together, we couldn't leave together, we couldn't have list goes on. For a year and a half, it was horrible. And by the way... people at work knew anyway." –u/littlebev 17."My ex-girlfriend and I kept our relationship a secret for the first few months just because some people in our friendship group would have been unhappy about it. Eventually, we let everyone know about it, and it went well. We lasted four years and split up last year because the relationship had run its course, and we wanted different things." –u/FastMoreThanTrain finally, "Badly, yet somehow we are still friends. Took about a 5-6 month cooling-off period, though. Basically, I had to hide the relationship from my mother because she hated my gf for the actions she had done to me in the past and for how she dresses. My dad knew about it but chose not to tell my mother, as my mother has a bit of a hot streak when it comes to her temper. It mostly worked out; not being able to have her at my house all that often was a bit of a pain, but I found ways around it. What killed it, though, was not only my mother finding out eventually but an argument about sex, as I overreacted to the prospect of having a child. The breakup was somewhat amicable, but I also found out that not long after the breakup, she had sex with her ex. That shattered me for a while, but now it's nothing but a distant memory." –u/Cruxisshadow H/T: r/AskReddit
Buzz Feed
2 hours ago
- Buzz Feed
Confessions From Secret Relationships: What Happened
Not all love stories are designed to be flaunted on Instagram. Some of the most thrilling romances actually are better served outside of the public eye. Some of the most exciting and memorable romances are often messy, complicated, and hidden behind locked screens and whispered phone calls. And despite how convoluted it could get, they leave a lasting impression, for better or for worse. Whether it was a forbidden office romance, a love affair that crossed cultural lines, or a situationship that never made it to 'Instagram official,' people have found themselves in secret relationships for way longer than they ever planned. I recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to spill the tea on the relationships they kept under wraps — and their stories range from heartbreaking to jaw-dropping. From being someone's 'dirty little secret' to uncovering the truth about why the secrecy started in the first place, these confessions will have you side-eyeing your situationship real quick. Note: Some submissions have been taken from this Reddit thread. "I'm still not ready to tell my kids about my girlfriend. However, I'm sure they suspect, as my ex has made several off-hand comments about me dating again." "I am in one right now. It's not a total secret, my friends know her and like her, but I've been keeping it from my mom, the most important person in the world to me, and it's really hard." "My mom lives in the Bay Area, and I split my time between there and LA depending on my work schedule. A couple of months ago, I met a girl, J, at a bar in Hollywood, and we had an instant connection. She makes me so happy, and I feel like I am falling in love. But I can't share that happiness with my mom. We talk on the phone every day, sometimes multiple times a day, and when I first met J, I told my mom I had made a new friend. She told me not to get involved romantically because I would be coming back to the Bay Area soon and should focus my attention on a guy in the Bay that I had expressed interest in a while ago. I told her I couldn't make any promises about that, and she said, 'Do what you want, but I don't want to hear about it.' I agreed. Fast forward a couple of weeks: I stayed the night at J's house, and my mom called me at 7 a.m. because she had checked my location and saw that I wasn't at my apartment. I told her I was at a friend's house, and when she asked who, I told the truth. She started freaking out, so I insisted it was platonic. She made me promise, and I lied to her. Since then, my feelings for J have only gotten deeper, and I have been lying to my mom on a daily basis about what I am doing and who I am with. It makes me feel like a terrible person, but I'm scared that if I come clean, she will never forgive me."—Anonymous, 25, Los Angeles "When I was 32, I had a brief affair with a friend. His wife was bi and had recently moved in with her girlfriend. It appeared to all of us that the friend and his wife were going to make the separation permanent (the friend certainly thought so)." "After we'd been together about a month, the friend's wife took notice. After three months had passed, she decided she wanted to keep her husband after all and came back. I was offered the chance to stay, too, if I agreed to be shared by both of them. I declined, and eventually moved far away. I found them a couple of years ago on Facebook. They're still together. I didn't contact them."—Anonymous, 63, Arizona "She tried flirting with him, and he was friendly but didn't seem interested. She kinda gave up after that, but whenever we were there, she would bring up how hot he is. About a month later, I was there without her, and I noticed he kept looking my way, so I made eye contact and smiled. By the end of the night, we were flirting and exchanged numbers. It was really exciting having to keep him a secret, I got a thrill from going to the bar and pretending I didn't know him and having other guys try to hit on me in front of him." "One night, she was pretty drunk at the bar and went up to him and asked him if he wanted to go home with her. He ended up telling her that he has been eyeing me. He wanted an actual relationship, and I used my friend as an excuse to avoid that, but she told him that he needs to make the first move.. I got bored because it wasn't a secret anymore, so I ended it. Don't worry, this was in my early 20s, and I've since gone to therapy."—Anonymous, 31 "When I was in my early 20s, I worked at a country club. I was always at the front desk as the membership rep. One day, an older man came in with his wife; he brought the VIP package, so I was doing my best to make him happy. He took a liking to me, and soon enough, we were sneaking away every chance we got." "I only broke things off when at a party for the club, I heard him telling some of his male friends that they could have a turn with me. My best friend was livid when she found out, but since she worked at the club too, she did little things to ruin his time there. Being young and dumb doesn't excuse what I did, but it is a great way of explaining how stupid I was."—Anonymous, 30, South Carolina "I once started dating a guy from work. We kept it on the DL because we didn't want anyone there to know. He was also recently divorced. I basically moved in with him, and we spent 24/7 together for several months. However, he was always paranoid about me being seen on the ring camera or leaving things around the house when visitors came." "He said his ex was crazy and still had access to the cameras through an app. I started getting suspicious, but I'd met some of his friends and was young and naive, so I believed that to be true. Fast forward a few months, and he gets relocated for work…to where his ex lives. I found out on Facebook a year later that they're still married. We had called it off once he moved, but I was the side chick while they were long-distance and truly had no idea. Moral of the story - listen to your gut!!"—Anonymous, 29, Nevada "I was 17 and he was 20." "When I was 21, I started seeing a 30-year-old. My mom was super religious, and I still lived at home, so I would sneak out when she went to bed to go to his place. We had a rule of no sleepovers; we both didn't want a relationship, and I think he was afraid I would get confused if I spent the night. He was the first one to show me what it's like to have a man cater to me and put my pleasure before their own. He helped me find my voice and be confident when it came to asking for what I want and letting a guy know what didn't feel good. Looking back, the age gap is a bit too much at that age, but I am thankful for him. He was really respectful and attentive." —Anonymous "My secret relationship is the necessary kind as opposed to the fun and exciting kind. I'm a trans man, and my partner is still in the closet. We're both bisexual, but he's never gone public about his relationships and sexual encounters with men, while I've been openly bisexual since I was 13." "It was a hot, messy, scandalous affair." "He was a successful and celebrated musician. We both were in relationships with other people. We genuinely loved each other and probably wished that it could be something more 'normal', but life didn't work like that. It was the kind of relationship that caused a buzz of electricity when we were in a room together, and everyone could feel it. He died unexpectedly, going on six years now. The day after he died, I was at a cemetery caring for a loved one's grave. I could sense the weight of it all, and at that moment, a car with a personalized plate drove by. The plate said 'LOVU4EVR' and I believe it."—Anonymous, 52, Canada "20 years after high school, a girl I knew then reached out and asked me to lunch. She told me how successful she and her husband were, and how wonderful their family was. Within 2 weeks, she caught him cheating and was over at my place doing things best not mentioned at meals. This went on for over 10 years. Once she and her husband finally split up, there was no more fun in our secret. She hooked up with the first guy that talked to her, and I retired. Everyone is happy. Even the cuckold." —Anonymous, 53, Denver "At first, it's fun and incredibly exciting! Sneaking around, stealing kisses, and spontaneous rendezvous for some action. Then basically, all your friends catch on since it's impossible not to be somewhat obvious. On top of that, people in a secret relationship normally can't keep their mouths shut and tell one person, making them swear not to tell anyone, but they will. "Overall, it's an awesome charade that can become pretty fulfilling, and mostly no one in your inner circle will care unless you are cheating. That's just quick gratification with long-lasting ramifications.I was in a 3 year relationship that began as a secret. Great experience and would never trade it for anything."–u/Hooligan_Hardguy "This is a throwaway for good reason. In my freshman year of college, I had been dating a girl for 3 years. She went to a different school at the time, so I didn't see her much, and the long-distance thing took a toll. About a month into my first semester, I met this girl in one of my classes. She was incredibly good-looking and very sweet. I had developed a bit of a crush on her, but it was nothing serious, just a bit of daydreaming. Then one day, I got a message on Facebook from her asking if she wanted to help me review her essay. She claimed to have read something of mine and really liked my writing style. I thought it was odd because she would always sit next to and talk to this other guy in class, and had never actually spoken to me. So, I met with her in the library and we started talking." "Basically, I was in love with a girl who loved me, but was more in love with her best friend. Her best friend was extremely possessive and kind of a terrible person, and didn't want to share her. It bordered on abuse and manipulation, but I couldn't convince her otherwise. So our relationship was a complete secret. Long story short, I ended up getting my heart broken, while she ended up with the person she really wanted to be with. We didn't talk for several months, and I just pretty much numbed myself to the pain. We just started talking again recently, actually, but I'm very guarded around her. For as much as I cared about her, I'll never do something so stupid again. It makes it hard to trust people." "I was a dirty little secret for the better part of 10 years (on and off). It sucked. He was insistent on not openly dating me, but everyone in his circle knew about me. His refusal to be open about it just hurt me (though he always had a good excuse.)" "Last we talked, he told me he was openly dating, and giving everything I asked for to a trailer girl with four kids who never graduated from high school. (I hold two degrees from a top-ranked university) So I declared him 'dead to me' 6 months ago and have never felt better."–u/Kopannie "Badly. We worked together and ended up dating for about a year and a half. During that time, he met my family, we went away for the weekend, did all that couple stuff, etc. But the ENTIRE time, he was completely paranoid about people at work finding out. There could be no pictures on social media, we couldn't go to work together, we couldn't leave together, we couldn't have list goes on. For a year and a half, it was horrible. And by the way... people at work knew anyway." –u/littlebev "My ex-girlfriend and I kept our relationship a secret for the first few months just because some people in our friendship group would have been unhappy about it. Eventually, we let everyone know about it, and it went well. We lasted four years and split up last year because the relationship had run its course, and we wanted different things." And finally, "Badly, yet somehow we are still friends. Took about a 5-6 month cooling-off period, though. Basically, I had to hide the relationship from my mother because she hated my gf for the actions she had done to me in the past and for how she dresses. My dad knew about it but chose not to tell my mother, as my mother has a bit of a hot streak when it comes to her temper. It mostly worked out; not being able to have her at my house all that often was a bit of a pain, but I found ways around it. What killed it, though, was not only my mother finding out eventually but an argument about sex, as I overreacted to the prospect of having a child. The breakup was somewhat amicable, but I also found out that not long after the breakup, she had sex with her ex. That shattered me for a while, but now it's nothing but a distant memory." –u/Cruxisshadow H/T: r/AskReddit
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Adults Are Sharing Their "I Can't Believe I Have To Explain This To Another Adult" Stories, And I Need To Lie Down After Reading These
Everyone's trying to figure life out, but common sense and knowledge do go...a long way. Recently, BuzzFeed Community members shared the things they couldn't believe they had to explain to other adults, and some of these are so baffling that all you can really do is chuckle: 1."I had to convince a college student that Louie Armstrong was not the first man on the moon." —bubblychicken804 2."I was at a party playing Cards Against Humanity when someone pulled a card that said 'Hiroshima' on it. She was so confused; she turned to me and asked, 'Who is Hiroshima?' I lost my faith in humanity that day." —Alex, 35, Nevada 3."My ex-husband thought that Christmas was on a different day every year, like Thanksgiving. This was in the '90s before smartphones, and we only had the internet at work, so the best I could do was show him a three-year calendar that showed Christmas always being on the 25th. In 10 years, I was never able to convince him that he wasn't right." —shinygoose103 4."I once had to explain to someone twice my age that chocolate milk does not come from brown cows. The amount of people in the US who believe that is incredible." —Anonymous 5."My brother thought that babies and moms were 'snapped' onto each other's belly buttons on the inside. He was in his 20s at the time." —Anonymous 6."My college-educated ex-husband thought that driving uphill meant he was driving north. He thought that since north is 'up' on a map, it must be the same on the ground. I asked him what direction we'd be heading when we crested the hill and went down the other side. He had to think it through for a long time before understanding." —Martha, 73, Florida 7."I had to explain to a man in his 60s that Japan is part of Asia." —deanf48acdde6c Related: I Can't Stop Cackling At These 47 Older Adults Who Are Funnier Than Most Comedians 8."I had to explain to a former sister-in-law that quitting 'cold turkey' did not actually include turkey." —Anonymous 9."In my mid-30s, I went back to school to finish college. I had at least three classmates ask if I was Italian, since my last name is Madrid. I explained each time that Madrid is the capital of Spain, and not a city in Italy. I just received blank stares from them." —Anonymous, 57, California 10."I had to explain to a coworker that going down on a guy wouldn't get them pregnant." —Anonymous 11."While preparing to move to Alaska, a coworker of mine asked what type of currency is used there. I told her that Alaska is a US state. She said she knew that, but she figured since it was so far away, they had their own currency. Can't make this up." —arcticbabe20 Related: "Something In My Head Said, 'Don't Get Up'": 16 Older Adults Reveal The Wildest Supernatural Encounters From Their Childhood 12."I had to explain to an older woman I was chatting with in a grocery store that, no, it is not the Democrats' position that being pro-abortion rights means you have a right to kill your baby after birth if you don't want it." —Anonymous 13."We asked our adult coworker to let us know when it was a quarter till one (12:45). Promptly at 12:35, she let us know that it was a quarter till. We all just kind of sat there, looking at her, before asking why she had alerted us at 12:35. She explained that a quarter till was 25 minutes before, saying, 'You know, like how a quarter is 25 cents.' She hasn't lived that one down since." —Anonymous 14."I had to explain to a NURSE that someone with a red meat intolerance cannot eat beef. She kept arguing that beef isn't red meat because 'it's brown.'" —Christina, 33, Florida 15."The number of times I've had to explain to people that West Virginia is a state entirely separate from Virginia due to the events of the Civil War is truly mind-blowing." —adrienoelle2258 16."I once had someone tell me that they didn't vote because the only votes that really counted were the ones from the 'college kids.' I asked if she was referring to the Electoral College, and she said yes. I tried to explain, but she said she learned what she knew from government class in high school, and she passed with flying colors, so I must have it wrong." —Anonymous 17."A man who claimed he'd been vegan for over five years refused to believe me when I told him that lactose-free yogurt is still, in fact, a dairy product." —paulau4fbdfb725 18."That narwhals are real. An adult friend of mine believed they were fake since they were called the 'unicorns of the sea,' and laughed at me for insisting they exist. Good ole Google helped settle that debate." —Anonymous 19."I was working in a law office as a paralegal, and the paralegal next to me said the US has 52 states. Mind you, we were both in our 30s. I tried explaining that there are only 50, but her response was: 'We have 52, and I'm not counting Mexico and Canada.' I printed out a blank map of America and gave it to her to fill out in her free time." —Anonymous 20."I once went on a date to see the movie, Titanic. My date was someone I worked with who, at 40, held a pretty prestigious position within the company. When the movie was over, I mentioned how tragic it was and how so many people lost their lives. He looked at me and said it was just a movie, so it's not like it happened in real life. When I told him that the Titanic actually sank, he refused to believe me and argued with me about it. Needless to say, our first date was also our last." —lunallee212 "That olives are NOT pickled grapes." —Anonymous Well, that was fun. What's something you couldn't believe you had to explain to an adult? Let us know in the comments, or you can anonymously submit your story using the form below! Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity. Also in Internet Finds: The History We're Taught Is Wildly Sanitized, So Here 28 Disturbing Historical Events Everyone Should Be Aware Of Also in Internet Finds: People Who Never Believed In The Supernatural Are Revealing What Made Them Change Their Minds, And I'm Terrified Also in Internet Finds: "It Was Driving Everyone Bonkers With Mystery": 49 Times The Internet Came Together To Identify Weird Items That Had Everyone Completely Stumped
