Beatrice O’Connell / Infinitum Contributor

What is love and how can we express such a complex emotion?  “The way I love you” focuses on the most intimate experience two people can share with one another: cooking a nice spaghetti dinner. What did you think I was going to say?  

This story touches on the difficulty of conveying such an undefinable feeling and how the words “I love you” aren’t often strong enough. With raw dialogue and simple drawings, I tried to break down my feelings in a picture book layout in hopes of capturing the tenderness and childlike giddiness that the couple feels for each other. I also wanted to capture the hardships and uncertainty that come with love’s intensity because in all the ways love is good it can also be painful.  

Although this piece is simple and in a lot of ways childish, it means so much to me. I have had the opportunity and gift of experiencing such a genuine relationship and it’s something I will always cherish. I hope others can relate and think of their own experiences as they read. Maybe even use these analogies the next time someone asks, “Do you love me?”