11 People On The Craziest Things They’ve Done For A Crush

A new crush can be a quietly productive force. It’s that extra motivation to spend more time on your appearance (in case you run into the office cutie at the printers) or immerse yourself in a new hobby (so you have an excuse to strike up a conversation). But a crush can also be a brain-scrambling disruption — the kind that shoves rational thinking out of the way in favor of grand gestures and scheming stunts we can’t help but marvel (or cringe) at once the bubble bursts. We wanted to hear about the great lengths people have gone to in the early stages of romance, so we put a call out to our readers — and you delivered.

The Time I Embarrassed Myself in 32A

“I was in line waiting to board a flight. A hot guy and I started up a conversation and realized our seats were right next to each other (my perfect meet cute). As we’re boarding, they scan my ticket and give me an updated seat assignment. I decided to board the plane and go to the original seat so I could sit next to the hot guy. I conveniently ‘lost’ the new seat assignment and only had my app which had my original seat number.

Then begins the chaos and confusion when someone wants the seat I’m in. I keep showing them my app where it shows that seat. More and more people are also having seat issues. I’m starting to get very embarrassed but am not giving up that seat because I’ve started this whole thing, and I’m going to finish it. It gets to the point where the attendant that scanned our boarding passes comes on the plane, remembers me, and asks why I’m not on my upgraded seat that she handed me. The flight attendants tell me we’re starting to run late. Cue the hot guy giving me the death glare and me moving seats and silently crying in my new seat from total embarrassment.” — Lorrin, 33, Maine

The Time I Lied My Way Into A Michelle Branch Concert

“I had a crush on this girl who worked in the music industry — she had a great smile and was just a fun person to be around. At the time, we followed each other online and I saw that she was going to a Michelle Branch show. I decided I needed to go, too, just so I could see her.

But there was one problem: The show was invite-only. I saw that a magazine was having a Facebook contest for free tickets, so I sent them an email pretending I won. They wrote back asking for a screenshot to confirm this, which I obviously didn’t have. I kept lying. First, I said I worked for a media outlet, which I don’t, then pivoted and named-dropped my friend who is a journalist, saying she needed to see the show. No response. I left them an urgent voicemail asking for my tickets. Two minutes later, I got an email saying I was on the list. I guess I wore them down.

My crush and I ended up hanging out at the after-party, but I didn’t end up going home with her. Instead, my night ended with me having an awkward conversation with Michelle Branch.” — Alyse, 36, Brooklyn

The Time I Chanced It With A Pot of Soup

“Back in 2006, I briefly moved home outside Blacksburg, Virginia, to have knee surgery. I’m a songwriter, so I thought I’d play a few shows while I was there. One night, I went to an afterparty for one of my shows and met this girl. There was such a spark in the air. We talked for hours. At the end of the party, she was like, ‘Do you just want to come home with me and sleep on the couch?’ I didn’t think she was propositioning me, but clearly, we had this connection. The problem: She had a boyfriend who lived with her.

Frankly, I started scheming. I couldn’t call her; I couldn’t be forward with her. But I knew she was a vegan and worked at a popular vegetarian restaurant downtown. So one day, I decided to cook a pot of vegan lentil soup. I put it in the car, drove 25 minutes to Blacksburg, and walked around with an orange Le Creuset pot full of soup, hoping to run into her. And I did! I was like, ‘Do you want some soup?’ She said yes, and we ate some. Within a month or two, she broke up with her boyfriend, and we started dating. Three months later, she told me she met some other guy, and that was that. I still make that vegan lentil soup to this day.” — Andrew, 43, Brooklyn

The Time I Asked His FWB For A Piece Of The Action

“I went to this workout class, and the instructor was incredibly attractive; all the girls were flirting with him. He had this really big, magnetic personality. As luck would have it, a couple months later, I met him at my friend’s birthday party. He showed up because he was hooking up with another girl there — let’s call her Cate. I asked the birthday girl to feel out the vibe and ask Cate if she'd be comfortable with me pursuing this guy, too. Cate said to go for it — it turns out she’s very sexually open — and she basically set us up.

Around that time, this guy started liking my posts on Instagram and we started talking. Eventually, he invited me out one on one. He’s gifted in bed. He and I wouldn’t be remotely compatible in the long term; we’re more just friends who also have sex. Cate and I still bump into each other every once in a while, too. Honestly, that’s been kind of fun for the two of us — we both know what’s going on. It’s almost like having the same favorite TV show.” — Allison*

The Time I Caused Some Apartment Drama

“I had a huge crush on this one guy in college. We were both engineering majors and had almost all of our classes together. He was tall, hot, and had a great vibe. I’m not a subtle person, so I very much made it clear that I had feelings for him. He would flirt back sometimes — just enough to keep me interested.

One night, we were all out at a bar and I had what I thought was a grand idea: to flirt with his roommate, thinking it would get his attention and make him jealous. I ended up hooking up with the roommate, who became obsessed with me and wanted to date me. After that, the guy I actually had a crush on was like, ‘Well, now my roommate likes you!’ It broke their bro code and nothing happened. The whole thing totally backfired.” — Chelsea*, 30, Cleveland

The Time I Leapt For Love At 10,000 Feet

“Not sure if this counts, but when I was in my early 20s, I started dating this guy who was sweet, silly, and kind of nerdy, but also very adventurous. He’d always wanted to go skydiving. It was not something I’d have done on my own, but I told him I’d go with him because I really liked him. Before our trip, I thought about how cool it would be if I yelled ‘I LOVE YOU!’ before we jumped out of the plane.

But when we got up there, my plans to make any sort of romantic gesture or do anything cute evaporated. I was terrified! It was a very, very small plane. He and I were each strapped to our guides, sitting there with our legs dangling into the air. Every ounce of energy was going toward pretending I was fine, so we just jumped out of the plane. I f*cking hated it.

We ended up breaking up less than a year later, but this was one of those experiences where I learned that maybe you don’t have to make yourself like something for your crush. You can just not like something, and that’s OK.” — Hannah*, 36, Brooklyn

The Time I Pined For The Bartender — While Totally Sober

“After graduating from high school, I worked as a bartender for the summer and had a crush on one of my co-workers. We flirted sometimes, but he had a girlfriend. That next summer, he worked at another bar nearby. Every Friday night, I would put on a full face of makeup, pick up my best friend, and drive to his new bar to hang out with him. I was under 21 and didn’t drink before I was legal, so we’d just sit there sober, drinking cappuccinos and eating cheeseburgers. I used to walk up to him and say, ‘Hey, do you know how to make an orgasm?’ It was the name of a cocktail, but I was proud of that line. I was committed and determined to make this man mine.

And it worked — he noticed me. Eventually, we got together and ended up dating for two years. But it turned out he had a drinking problem, and I aged out of being a naive 19-year-old girl. I realized I wanted a life partner, not someone who lived for partying.” — Julia, 23, Long Island

The Time I Had A Reality TV Fantasy

“Several years ago, I became convinced that a contestant on The Bachelorette and I were meant for each other — Jason Tartick, a top-three finalist on Becca Kurfin’s season. I don’t even watch the show, but I ended up watching his hometown date episode with some friends. At the time, I was 26 and sick of guys who weren’t interested in anything serious. This guy was decently smart, he loved his mom, and he seemed like he really wanted a relationship.

I decided to write him a letter. I explained that I lived in New York and worked in advertising, and said he seemed like everything I was looking for — and that maybe I could be everything he’s looking for. But then I thought, ‘This guy’s going to think I’m ugly or a stalker.’ So I printed out photos of myself and included them — I needed to show him that I’m hot and smart — along with my contact info. Then I did some sleuthing on Google and White Pages, found what I thought was an address for him — it could have been his parents’ house — and sent it off. I never heard back.” — Adriana, 32, New York

The Time I Had A Fifty Shades of Grey Moment In The Sky

“One time at a music festival, my friend and I ran into this guy she vaguely knew while we were waiting in line at a food truck. He had great hair and mischievous eyes. He was also really successful and smart, and I’m what they call a sapiosexual, which is when you’re attracted to really smart people. It can definitely get you into trouble, because smart doesn’t always equal a great partner.

Anyway, I started hooking up with him that week, and at one point, he told me he had his pilot’s license and owned a small plane — definitely a daredevil. Sometimes he’d fly his plane to wherever I was. Once, I flew with him and he let me control the plane. It was definitely exciting, like the helicopter scene from Fifty Shades of Grey. It felt almost like the universe had just invented a person for me to have a crush on.

For me, it fizzled when he visited me and said something about not caring if his parents died. I genuinely don’t know what he meant by that, but it was kind of alarming. Looking back on my 20s, I really hope I wasn’t delusional enough to think he would be my husband.” — Helen*, 39, Virginia

The Time I Pretended I Was In Town

“I met this guy from my college while we were studying abroad in South Africa. He was super cute, fun, and sweet. When we got back to school in Nashville, we ended up going to a party together and hooking up.

Fast-forward to the spring: After graduation, he moved to Louisville, about two hours away. One weekend, I found an Airbnb there, booked it for one night, and Snapchatted him. I told him I was in the area for work — a complete lie — and asked him if he wanted to grab a drink. I ended up meeting up with him and some of his friends. We all got hammered. I went home to freshen up and texted him that it was really nice to see him, hoping that he’d ask me to come over the way he sometimes did when we were in school together. He never responded, and I was so hungover the next day.” — Marisa, 31, Brooklyn

The Time I Got Really Into Stephen King

“After I finished grad school in New York, I moved home to Seattle. At the time, I was single, on the dating apps, and just kind of adrift. I matched with this guy on Tinder. He was cute and had a nice body. When we met at a bar, he told me he’d just gotten out of a relationship — he seemed a bit nervous. Eventually, we started talking about books, and he told me he was obsessed with Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series. I am not a horror person, but I lied through my teeth and told him I was interested in reading it — I thought it would ease him into opening up.

And so, after our date, I went out and bought this set of books. I texted him to tell him I was reading them. He seemed unimpressed, and the conversation petered off. We didn’t ever go on a second date, but I read more than 600 pages for this man. I haven’t picked up another Stephen King book since.” — Elisabeth, 31, New Jersey

*Names have been changed for anonymity.

With reporting by Avery Stone.