Books

In thinking over my favorite books, I was surprised that there weren't more couples that I really liked given my propensity for chick lit and romance novels in general

• Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy (Pride & Prejudice) Elizabeth gets what she wants and she's hilarious; Mr. Darcy is a prideful man, but Elizabeth works her way into his heart and breaks down the walls he has put up
• Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth (Persuasion) I love all the angst in their relationship and the fact that neither one of them got over each other after 7 years; his letter to her is the most romantic prose I have read in literature
• Sheridan Drake and Olympia (Seize the Fire) Sheridan suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and is super tortured and Olympia is the fugitive princess who is the "most beautiful thing in his life"
• Jessica Darling and Marcus Flutie (Sloppy Firsts,Second Helpings,Charmed Thirds,Fourth Comings, Perfect Fifths) In the second book I loved their relationship even as she tried to escape her feelings for him and he waited patiently for her to realize how she loved him and they had to get past all the crap with him doing drugs with her best friend Hope's brother Heath before Heah committed suicide; his song was not that great, but I loved his "You.Yes.You" shirt that he wore during his declaration of his feelings for her. In the last book, I loved their Can't Smile Without You karaoke moment and the fact that neither one of them could lie to themselves anymore and pretend that they had moved on. They didn't need to move on because they were meant to be together.
• Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley (Harry Potter) It annoys me that it takes so long for these two even to kiss but I love all their little moments, like when he's jealous of Victor at the Yule Ball and they fight about how he didn't have the courage to ask her and when their hands are close together when they wake up and Harry thinks they fell asleep holding hands; I do love that their first kiss happened when he was worried about the welfare of the elves at Hogwarts
• Mia Thermopolis and Michael Moscovitz (The Princess Diaries) They are meant to be together and he went to Japan to make a CardioArm robot to save people's lives and prove that he was worthy of being with a princess; I liked how they first got together at the Nondenominational Winter Dance when he made her a video game where he said he loved her
• Elizabeth Wakefield and Conner McDermott (SVH: Senior Year) They were the classic bad boy/girl story of the series; I loved their antagonistic relationship in the beginning particularly when they lived together when she didn't want to live with the Fowlers anymore; I enjoyed the drama when she felt guilty because Conner had dated her best friend Maria, and when he didn't want to admit that he loved her because he was the type of guy who didn't want to have a committed relationship; I didn't like where their relationship went when Conner struggled with alcoholism/hooked up with his best friend Tia while he was still dating Elizabeth, but their relationship seemed more realistic than hers with Todd
• Jessica Wakefield and Jeremy Aames (SVH: Senior Year) I loved their initial workplace flirtation/romance at House of Java, but was highly upset when she started dating Will Simmons who was an ass that had previously led all of SVH to believe that Jessica had slept with him when he had a girlfriend; I loved when Jeremy and Jessica got back together when his girlfriend Jade orchestrated their reconciliation, right after Jessica kept trying to get Jeremy to work on his relationship with Jade because she was trying to put his happiness first because she loved him
• Maria Slater and Ken Matthews (SVH: Senior Year) After Ken's girlfriend Olivia died in the earthquake on the day of Jessica and Elizabeth's 17th birthday, he was in a deep depression and Maria helped to pull him out of it and make him start caring about life again; when their relationship first began Maria was amusing because she didn't realize that he liked her; he thought they were dating and she thought they were just hanging out, but their first kiss happened later that night, and it was beautiful; she was pretty hilarious when they broke up after he became quarterback again after Will's injury and she would write derogatory things about the football team that were really about her resentment towards Ken; since she still did love him though, she ran down on the field when she thought he could be hurt and in the last book she went with him to the cemetery on the anniversary of Olivia's death

TV

• Joey Potter and Pacey Whitter (Dawson's Creek) Not only do I wish I could find someone like Pacey, I completely identified with Joey's attachment to Dawson and how hard it was for her to let go of that to be with Pacey who was clearly better suited for her, even though she still kept trying to run away from the relationship for all of her young adult life
• Veronica Mars and Logan Echolls (Veronica Mars) I loved the episode where they got together because he was rocking the protective vibe and I loved his speech about epic love at his Alterna Prom party and all the moments where they made snarky remarks to each other because they had a lot of sparks.Once they went to college, their relationship became kind of weird, but I still enjoyed his jealous dynamic when Piz and Veronica got together.
• Luke Danes and Lorelai Gilmore (Gilmore Girls) When they first got together, everything was wonderful and their first kiss was fantastic! I loved all the moments of sexual tension when they were supposedly just friends before they got together but when they were together in the 5th season it was never boring; even though they never got married they were clearly meant to be together. The love between them was never more apparent than when they were broken up and at the "Fiddler on the Roof" performance and listening to "Do You Love Me?" It was heartbreaking.
• Rory Gilmore and Jess Mariano (Gilmore Girls) They seemed very compatible and I liked how he fought Dean to be with her; he wasn't ready for the intensity of their relationship when he was young, so I was greatly saddened that by the time he was ready for Rory and had become a really good man, she was in love with Logan and didn't want to be with Jess anymore; Jess seemed to love her always
• Amy Abbott and Ephram Brown (Everwood) Even though their relationship started under less than ideal circumstances (her boyfriend Colin was in a coma and Ephram essentially fell in love with her at first sight), they grew into one of the most loving and understanding couples who always put each other's interests first; their conversation about soul mates defined my life and the ferris wheel moment in the finale is perfection
• Hannah Rogers and Bright Abbott (Everwood) The whole process of them falling in love was a beautiful story, particularly as he helped her to come out of her shell and finally find a boy she truly loved as a friend and boyfriend; she reformed his player ways, but when he cheated on her it was completely heartbreaking; in the end, their friendship was salvaged though at the very least
• Felicity Porter and Noel Crane (Felicity) I honestly don't even remember what happened with them after the first season, but they were perfect together in their own neurotic way; when they first kiss over the Boggle game and their makeout session in the bathroom on Thanksgiving remain as two of my favorite scenes and I love how happy Felicity was with him when she said "You're my first boyfriend."
• Tami Taylor and Coach Eric Taylor (Friday Night Lights)These people are the most realistic married couple I've ever seen on TV. They are adorable and loving towards each other for the most part, but even when they fight, it is still obvious how much they love each other. It doesn't hurt that they're both really attractive people too!
• Temperance "Bones" Brennan and Seeley Booth (Bones) Even if they aren't technically together they totally act like a couple. They share many meaningful looks and intense talks such as one of my favorite moments in which Booth tells Bones that there is one person for her, and she just has to be open enough to see it. I love how comfortable they are together and how protective he is of her. I also love how much she cares about him, even if she is reluctant to acknowledge it, and their interaction with Dr. Sweets, their therapist is adorable too.
• Pam Beesly and Jim Halpert (The Office) I love how they look at each other across the office (and when Pam's away, people get freaked out because Jim keeps staring at them). One of the saddest moments ever is when Jim tells her he loves her and she just tells him how much he means to her as a friend in Casino Night. Their relationship when he was dating Karen also added to the dramatic depth of the show, particularly in Beach Games when Pam has run across the hot coals before telling Jim she called off her wedding because of him. I love that they are best friends. I don't think there's a cuter couple on tv. The episode with their wedding was so touching, both in Jim's speech when he said for four years he knew he was "waiting for his wife" and when he said getting married on the boat was Plan C, as his first plan was marrying Pam much sooner, pretty much the first day he met her.
• Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass (Gossip Girl) Their angst knows no bounds and has often seemed contrived to keep them apart, but no other couple on TV right now has the clashing chemistry that they do. They play off each other extremely well. My favorite moments between them occur when Chuck's father dies and Blair says she loves him but he says, "That's too bad" and rides away from her, but then he comes to her house at the end of the day and just breaks down sobbing on her shoulder, then they lay next to each other but he leaves her in the morning saying she deserves better. And of course I love when he finally says, "I love you too" in the season finale, particularly because he smiles at her in a way that completely changes his normally smirking face, and that he keeps saying he loves her while he kisses her.
• Joan Girardi and Adam Rove (Joan of Arcadia) I love that he calls her Jane, and he is the sweetest person ever in the first season; when he first makes her the cheerleader, I was truly touched; they are super cute together, and when Adam cheated on her I could not believe that it had happened
• Buffy Summers and Spike aka "William the Bloody" (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) I liked Buffy and Angel, but Buffy and Spike had a very hot and tormented relationship. I love when they knock down the house with the intensity of their sexual force. I also love when he sings to her in "Once More with Feeling" and says she has to go on living, so one of us is living. The finale where she lies and says she loves him is great too, just as he has sacrificed himself to save the world.
• Amanda King and Lee Stetson (Scarecrow and Mrs. King) Amanda is initially Lee's civilian partner as they work as federal agents. They have a lot of chemistry even though at times she's very silly, and the moments leading up to them becoming a couple are lots of fun, particularly when they pretend to be married when they are on cases. Favorite exchange between them: "You can't just come up to me and say give this to the man in the red hat, tell me you love me, and walk out of my life." (Stemwinder)
• Meg Pryor and Luke Foley (American Dreams) Even though I ultimately realized they were not very good for each other, their relationship in the 1st season was adorable, particularly because he was so nerdy looking; I liked that he tried to introduce Meg to different music than what she listened to on Bandstand but she was just a cute little mainstream girl anyway; my favorite Meg/Luke moments include when they held hands after kissing before Mass on Christmas Eve, when he said, "Would you mind getting one for my girlfriend?" in front of her whole family when she was waiting for him to acknowledge their relationship, and when they got back together and she made a speech about how she couldn't forget him, but forgot she wanted to play "Going Out of My Head" first to describe how she felt when she kissed him
• Summer Roberts and Seth Cohen (The O.C.) Their whole relationship was adorable, particularly as she tried to deny she liked him in the beginning; I was happy they remained stable after they got together for the second time and the coffee cart love declaration was awesome as well as the Spiderman upside down kiss
• Charlotte "Chuck" Charles and Ned "The Piemaker" (Pushing Daisies) Chuck was Ned's childhood sweetheart and he touched her to make her come alive again; the ways that they find to connect without touching are always super cute from the moment in the first episode where they held their own hands to pretend they were holding each others' hands and kissing through the plastic wrap or dancing in the bee keeping suits; they have a beautiful comfortable relationship even though Chuck's life is limited since she's supposedly dead-yay in the series finale that Vivian and Lily found out Chuck was alive!

Movies

• Diane Court and Lloyd Dobler (Say Anything) I love these two together. My favorite moment happens after he gets kicked in the face (doing kickboxing) and he asks "Are you here because you need someone or because you need me?" but before she answers he says, "Forget it, I don't care." (Of course she says, "I need you.") I also love this exchange: Diane Court: Nobody thinks it will work, do they? Lloyd Dobler: No. You just described every great success story. Of course I love the grand gesture where he holds the boombox over his head outside her window playing Peter Gabriel's "Your Eyes."
• Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy (A&E Pride and Prejudice) Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth had amazing chemistry and great depth to their performances. I loved Jennifer Ehle's portrayal of Elizabeth's wit and Colin Firth's portrayal of the intensity of Darcy's emotions.
• Sally Albright and Harry Burns (When Harry Met Sally) Classic story of best friends who fall in love-they play well off each other, and I love their romantic ending on New Year's Eve that still manages to be funny when Sally says, "That is just like you Harry! You say things like that and you make it impossible for me to hate you!"
• Watts and Keith Nelson (Some Kind of Wonderful) Watts' initially unrequited love for Keith can be hard to watch as he tries to date Amanda Jones, the most popular girl in school, but the moment they kiss to help him "practice" for his date it is highly apparent these two will end up together. I also love her speech to him in the club in which she says, "The only things I care about in this goddamned life are me, and my drums, and you!" The fact that Keith is still oblivious that she loves him after this is always hard for me to believe though.
• Bridget Jones and Mark Darcy (Bridget Jones's Diary) These two are hilarious together. My favorite moments between them are when he says to her, "I like you, just as you are," and when she says, "Nice boys don't kiss like that" and he responds, "Oh yes they fucking do."
• Kat Stratford and Patrick Verona (10 Things I Hate About You)This couple makes the movie with their verbal sparring. Despite the fact that their relationship is set up, Patrick always seems intrigued by Kat, and he really seems genuinely interested in her from the beginning. When he serenades her during soccer practice, when they kiss while playing paintball, when he walks behind her when she's playing guitar and she can feel his presence, when he looks at her when she's crying during her poem, and finally their final scene where he picks her up after he kisses her are all completely adorable/romantic. (I really love Cameron too, but I don't care much for Bianca so they won't make the list).
• Rose DeWitt Bukater and Jack Dawson (Titanic) Classic moments for this couple- when he teaches her to spit like a man, when he gives the speech about how the fire he loves about her will burn out if she stays in the high society life, when he tries to make her go on the lifeboat, but she won't leave without him and jumps back onto the ship and he tells her she's so stupid and kisses her like 5 times
• Vivian Ward and Edward Lewis (Pretty Woman) She helps bring Edward away from his workaholic nature and have fun; they are adorable and I love how protective he is of her when Stuckey hits on her; my favorite scenes are when they go to the opera together, and he sees how truly touched she is by the performance.
• Cher Horowitz and Josh (Clueless) I really like the playfulness of their relationship even before she realizes she likes him; I love how he's always amused by her, like when she talks about remembering Mel Gibson accurately when describing what Hamlet said (I also love that he remembers this later when he says Pippi Longstocking was never played by Mel Gibson) The scene where they first kiss is adorable too, when he tries to evade saying that he thinks she's beautiful and keeps repeating that working on the case is "a good learning experience."
• Hildy Johnson and Walter Burns (His Girl Friday) Their rapid banter was hilarious, as were his attempts to win her away from her current fiancee.
• Maria and Captain Georg Von Trapp (The Sound of Music) The antagonistic nature of their relationship is fun to watch in the beginning, like when she yells at him about how he should be treating his children; the scene where they do the Lindler, an Austrian folk dance, is lovely, but his awkwardness when he goes to her after breaking up with the Baroness is the most adorable scene they have together.