19 Romantic Gestures We See in Movies All the Time That Are Just Plain Weird in Real Life

When watching our favorite romantic movies, we sometimes wish a similar story would happen to us: meet an interesting stranger who’s willing to do anything for us, just like the couple on the screen. But as good as that looks in movies, the truth is, if someone were to do some of the things we see in films and TV shows in real life, it would not only be embarrassing, but maybe even creepy.

And because we knew you might not believe a word we’re saying (yes, we were skeptical at first too), Bright Side compiled 19 stories that people shared on social media proving how creepy some romantic gestures can be.

• I was leaving for work on Valentine’s Day a few years ago and found a rose outside my apartment door. I freaked out—you needed key card access to get into the building. I had been on a really bad date a week prior, and I was terrified that this guy had somehow found out where I lived. It ended up being from someone who lived in the building—a friend who had dropped off roses at the door of each person in our group. I think I was the only one who freaked out about it instead of being happy to get a rose. © gambitloveslegos / Reddit
• I had a disastrous date with a guy (things got weird, he tried to fight a security guard, then told me he loved me. Ugh.) The next day, I got home from work and there were flowers by my apartment door. At the time, I lived in an apartment you entered via a backyard in a house. I felt sooo creeped out and tossed those flowers, then went out and bought a second security chain for my front door. © Edna_Krabappelous / Reddit
• A stalkerish dude that tried to get me to go out on a date with him covered my porch with flowers. I worked in a café, and he tipped me $300 every Tuesday night when he came in, so I didn’t want to lose that money, and while I wouldn’t agree to go out with him, I never actually told him I wouldn’t either.
  
  I jokingly said that he might be some stalker, and I’d need a full criminal background report on him before I agreed. This guy actually went and got one, rolled it up and put it on the hood of my car along with another ton of flowers. I was kind of annoyed about that because I didn’t know he did it, and when I got up the next morning, I had to get all that stuff off my car. I never went out with him. © ItzLog / Reddit
• Oh, boy! I once came into my living room just to find 29 orchids. The scary part was he wasn’t even a boyfriend, just a friend with a crush. © -sIm0n3 / Reddit

• Had an ex call me the day before her wedding saying she would call it off and if I took her back. That’s still too close, but much better than the day of the wedding! After I told her no, her mom called asking if I would take her daughter back to her place. I can’t imagine what the hell was wrong with the guy she was marrying—and why they were getting married... I dodged a hell of a bullet, I think. © Springer99 / Reddit

• I had a guy ask me out in front a third of the school before (1 of the 3 lunch blocks) with a huge sign that took multiple people to hold. I cried, which he mistook as happy tears and assumed we were dating now. I had to super awkwardly let him down once we were alone. © Pirate_Tuna / Reddit

• When I was in high school, there was a Sadie Hawkins dance and this girl in my Spanish class decided to ask another guy from the class in front of everyone else. She did this by writing on the whiteboard something simple like “(His name), Sadie’s?” in big letters, and waiting for him to get to class. When he got there, he just stood awkwardly in front of all 30 or so people there having been put on the spot and not expecting this at all. And after maybe 30 very long seconds, he said “...I’ll have to think about it.” I can’t imagine anyone who was there has forgotten about that moment, it really was terribly awkward, and I don’t know why anyone would risk something like this happening to them by making public proposals like that. Especially when they’re a complete surprise to the other person. © PlentyOMangos / Reddit

• I knew a guy in college who, like, made up a song for me (guitar and all) and was singing it to me with my other friends around. We all were just like... This is so awkward. I don’t even think he was even interested in me, he was more interested in the idea of pursuing someone and did it all wrong. © EloquentGrl / Reddit

• I am an emcee. I had an event where someone proposed publicly, and it was so full of cringe. First, it was a bunch of actors, and I don’t know about the relationship beforehand, but I was only made aware right before the event, and after the scene ended (it was a short skit as part of a competition), he stopped everyone from exiting, and started his thing.
  
  He got down on one knee and proposed to her. On stage. In front of a live audience. I was offstage when this happened, and all I could see was behind the guy and facing the girl. The girl looked shocked, then horrified. He had a speech prepared that took about a minute, and as he spoke, she started to tear up, but not in a good way. Finally, she said, as an answer, “No... No, no, NO!” and ran from the stage crying, followed by her friends and the other actors/actresses, all in shock, trying to console her.
  
  The guy just stayed there on one knee for a few long, awkward moment, tried to get up, but was stepping on his own cape, fell over, got up, stepped on his cape AGAIN, fell over, and then got up and walked off quickly. I could FEEL the burning embarrassment off of him as he passed me.
  
  Then I had to get on stage and introduce the next skit. How do you follow that? I had been joking and playing off the fool all evening. I decided to not even acknowledge anything happening, and just skipped jokes and stuff, and it was ssooooo awkwaaaarrrrdddd... and the audience was still stunned for about 2-3 skits after that. © punkwalrus / Reddit
• I went to a high school with a huge atrium in the center of it. You could see the center of the atrium from all three floors of the school. One day, one of my friends sets up really big speakers and a microphone and sings to his crush in the center of the school. It was to ask her to prom. He sings the entire song to her before he actually asks the question. He’s also partially blind, so someone had to point out to him the girl in the crown he was actively prom-posing to. She said yes. Two weeks pass and the rumor around school is she is going to prom with someone else. She didn’t want to publicly turn down the blind kid who serenaded her in front of 800+ people. © Ne**oConF*ego / Reddit
• I had an ex do this to me too, only it was leaving flowers on my car while at work. And once, he left flowers on my counter at work while I had stepped away, which was super unsettling (I worked retail at the time), but I never saw him. After that, he would drive around looking for my car when I was out at night with friends and stare at me from across the bar. He thought it as romantic and nice, but when a 6’3″ man follows around a 5’3″ woman it is more terrifying than anything. A threat of a restraining order from a cop got through to him, luckily. Though I feel like me telling him to leave me the hell alone should have been enough. © Happylittlepotatoes / Reddit

• Just had this conversation with a friend. She broke up with a boy after an argument. He made a play of, if she apologized, he would take her back, and she said no thanks. He realized his error and now says he will do anything to win her back and that he’s so madly in love... Life is not a rom-com. © jchamberlin78 / Reddit

• Bumping into the same person over and over again. This actually happened to me. He was the only one to catch feelings, I just thought it was a coincidence not worth thinking about further (we attended the same schools from elementary to university, lived in the same small town, not unusual to bump into each other). Looking back, I think some of those “bumps” were orchestrated by him, but can’t confirm, wouldn’t put it past him. He was creepy in a weird but harmless way, turned him down, and he blocked me everywhere in anger. All’s well that ends well? © CatsOverFlowers / Reddit

• Turning up at your door with flowers. I once had a chap do this to me—I’d cancelled the first date as I got a creepy vibe from him. He stalked me online, found my address, drove 3 hours and turned up with a dozen red roses. Luckily, I got a family member to answer the door and say I wasn’t there, as he’d texted me half an hour before to ask whether I was home. I later let him know that this was NOT okay. © hsbrax1 / Reddit

• I dated a crazy attractive guitar player with a fantastic voice, and it was still awkward to sit in my living room while he played and periodically smiled up at me. I never knew where to look or if I was being appropriately enthusiastic enough. My husband taught himself how to play the ukulele and watching him play with our toddler is adorable though—maybe the difference is that he just busts it out when he feels like playing, and I can keep doing whatever I’m doing. © Sharkaub / Reddit

Have you ever experienced a situation that might’ve been romantic in a movie, but was actually the opposite in real life? Share your stories with us, and we’ll make another article compiling them!