Lifestyle

11 Things Guys Say To Each Other Instead Of Saying ‘I Love You’

by Connor Toole

Based on the posts I see from former roommates, people I pretend to like and random strangers I follow on social media, guys tend to be very vocal when it comes to professing their love for their guy friends to the rest of the world.

There's usually at least one group of guys who enjoy working out together, posing shirtless next to bodies of water and inventing various hashtags to describe their #SQUAD, but they tend to stray away from excessive heart emojis when describing the emotional bond they share.

However, if I learned anything from the genre-defining bromantic comedy starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel, there are ways to say "l love you, man" without actually saying anything at all.

Whether you're getting together for an afternoon of an ironic sport in a local park or using each other as an excuse to grab a drink after work, there is no shortage of opportunities to show that you actually care.

The little things you do to show your appreciation can matter more than you'd think.

Guys might not always say "I love you" to each other, but uttering any of these phrases is basically the same thing.

1. "I'd be happy to help you move."

This is a lie.

Moving is the definition of hell on Earth for sheltered people in developed nations around the world, and to willingly take part in the experience requires a bond that transcends love.

I don't know if humans have even invented a word to convey just how much you have to care to say this and mean it.

2."I'll sit up front with the driver."

Nobody wants to be the person who has to sit in the front seat of a cab. It's always kind of awkward sitting next to the driver, you feel left out of the conversation and there's usually a stain that makes you uncomfortable on the seat.

It's one of the only times you don't want to ride in the front seat, and volunteering to do so is a truly incredible act of love.

3. "I'll give you the password to my account so you can use it to stream."

In 2015, true love is giving another person your password (and not judging them for the things they end up watching).

4. "I have cash. You can just get me back later."

True love is also saving your friend from the wretched curse of ATM fees, especially when you have a history of forgetting to get them back later.

5. "You have to try a bite of this."

As far as I'm concerned, there aren't many actions on this planet more noble than letting another man taste your food before you've decided you've had enough.

I may just be greedy and gluttonous, but gestures like this should not go unnoticed.

6. "Do you need anything while I'm out?"

Offering to grab something from the fridge might seem fairly insignificant, but I can't understate the importance of any action that results in me not having to get up off of my couch and walking multiple feet to get an orange soda on my own.

7. "I took out the trash."

If you still haven't made it to the point in life where you can justify living in an apartment without roommates, you know that there are certain chores people love to wait for other people to do for them.

Coming back home to an apartment that doesn't have three smelly bags sitting in the hallway is the closest I'll ever come to knowing what it felt like for the dad in a 1950s sitcom to come back to a kiss and a home-cooked meal after a long day of business.

8. "You can have the last one."

It doesn't matter what the "one" in this situation is; willingly letting someone take the last of it is a truly selfless act.

9. "I could definitely have worse friends."

I'm not saying every guy is void of emotion capable of making John Wayne look like a blubbering fountain of feelings, but in my experience, most compliments often come in the form of not-so-thinly veiled insults about how you could be worse.

When you're dealing with these kinds of people, sometimes it's best to take what you can get.

10. "I'll help you shave the back of your neck."

This one might not be as universally relatable as the rest of the ones listed, but I challenge you to find a better way to bond with another guy than helping him manscape before going out.

11. "There's beer in the fridge. Help yourself."

I'm sure there are other phrases in the English language more beautiful than this, but I'm having trouble thinking of one.