Yearning Isn't Just For Romance—It's For All The Love You Already Have

It's easy to fall for what love looks like on your feed—especially every February, when the world makes you yearn for roses, restaurant (and maybe room 😉) reservations, and relationship status updates. But when you actually scroll past that v curated image, you'll see that love isn't just one thing—and it's almost never only romantic.

Our February cover stars Gabbi Garcia and Khalil Ramos showed us their slow-burn connection in real time. In a world that constantly pushes us to rush everything, their nine-year relationship is proof that chemistry unfolds on its own pace.

Throughout the month, we also explored the many faces of love: the appreciation that to be loved is to be known, the recognition of same-sex co-ownership, to the ache of lovesickness and why it's so hard to move on, the panic of receiving a "Hey girl" DM—and yes, even floodliking counts.

But beyond what we wrote, this month made clear that love—and the innate yearning for it—finds its way into real life in ways you don't always see coming.

Yes, there was a Valentine's date. There was getting dressed up and leaning into the ritual of it all. But I also ended up spending intentional, one-on-one time with different friends—quick chats here, a few dinners there, long conversations that stretched past what we originally scheduled.

I celebrated my dad's first birthday since his passing, too. There's a specific kind of love in grief—it doesn't disappear just because someone isn't physically here. Being with my family that day reminded me that love also looks like remembering, continuing, holding space.

And in the middle of all that, I found myself sharing Cosmo with our first batch of interns for the year. Talking about what we do, why we care, who we're speaking to. There's a different kind of love in that, too—the kind that feels like building something and wanting other women to build it with you.

None of those moments were extraordinaly dramatic. None were particularly cinematic. But taken together, they felt fuller than any single Valentine's plan ever could.

At Cosmo, we'll always talk about romantic love. (And yes, even how to retouch your makeup after sex.) We're never going to pretend kilig isn't powerful or that desire isn't worth celebrating. But we also know that love isn't limited to who you're dating—or if you're dating at all.

Love can be romantic. It can be platonic. It can be familial. It can be creative. It can be communal. It can be the way you show up for your friends. The way you honor your family. The way you pour into your work and the women around you.

Honestly, the real win isn't having one grand love story. It's recognizing how many kinds of love you're already living.

This February, I hope you let yourself count all of them.