Well, my yf can often seem short on gratitude, but appearances can be deceiving.

I found that out when I had to take him for a doctor's appointment one day and we got stuck in the waiting room for a while. We were just bantering about stuff and he playfully said something that sounded slightly critical and I playfully said back, 'you hate me.'

He knew we'd been kidding, but his cheeks turned red. He rose up out of his chair, obviously agitated. Then, realizing he was letting emotions come out, he made an effort and sat down again. I assured him I was just fooling around. He said, 'I know.' We went back to banter.

It was then that I realized how deeply interlinked we were.

That was a long time ago, the age of consent has come and gone (not that we ever considered doing anything sexual - he's straight and I'm polite) and the age of effusive gratitude is still decades away (usually that only happens when the person dedicates a book or says your eulogy). But that was one of the most heartfelt thank yous I ever got, and I appreciate it very much.