The truth is, you don’t need to share the same couch to share a romantic evening. With the right mindset, even a video call can feel intimate, playful, and memorable. I remember one man telling me he and his girlfriend cooked the same recipe at the same time, cameras on, laughing as they both messed up the pasta sauce. By the end of the evening, they were eating “together,” clinking glasses at the screen, and smiling like they were in the same kitchen. It wasn’t about food. It was about creating a shared experience.
Movies are another simple trick. Instead of watching alone and texting, start the same film on both screens and keep the call running. Add popcorn, pajamas, and comments like “Oh no, this part always makes me cry”. What you get is not just two people pressing play, but a shared moment, as if you were in the same theater. The distance melts when you laugh and react together.
One of my favorite stories came from a girl who told me her boyfriend surprised her with a virtual playlist date. He sent her a link to music he had collected — songs that reminded him of her, their inside jokes, and even one silly track she used to dance to in her kitchen. They listened together, song by song, talking about memories and making new ones. Music has a way of turning time into emotion, even across thousands of miles.
Games can also turn an ordinary evening into a playful memory. From online board games to silly phone quizzes, the goal isn’t winning — it’s laughing. I once tried a trivia night online with someone, and we both discovered how little we actually knew about geography. The laughter itself became the connection.
And then, there’s storytelling. Many couples underestimate how powerful it is simply to talk — not about work or stress, but about dreams, fantasies, and little secrets. I often suggest a game: “Ask me anything you’ve never asked before.” These conversations create intimacy in ways a fancy dinner sometimes cannot. Psychologists often call this self-disclosure, and studies show it builds trust and attraction faster than superficial chat.
Of course, sometimes the simplest ideas are the most romantic. Lighting a candle, setting your phone on the table, and eating dinner “together” may sound ordinary, but when done with presence and attention, it feels warm and real. Love, after all, is less about the setting and more about the connection.
So if distance keeps you apart, don’t give up on romance. In fact, let it challenge you to be more creative. Because one day, when you are finally in the same room, you will laugh about the nights you clinked glasses through a screen, and you’ll realize those moments were not “less.” They were proof that love can cross any distance.
Suggested reading
- Gary Chapman — The 5 Love Languages
- Esther Perel — Mating in Captivity
- John Gottman — The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work
- Arthur Aron — The Experimental Generation of Interpersonal Closeness (classic psychology paper about intimacy)
- Sue Johnson — Hold Me Tight
