Of all the words found within the English dictionary, love might be the coziest, nestled neatly between lovage and lovebird. Phonetically, “luhv” opens high and wide before curling on the tongue with a tickle. It means harmony, “a strong feeling of affection”. But that’s open to debate. That’s why we spoke to three couples around the world — two young lovers in Nashville, a recently married design power couple in Portland, and two Japanese retirees going 54 years strong — to hear their takes on the L-word, and find out how their beliefs about the emotion came to be.
Oliver John Rodgers and Kara Roosevelt
Oliver, 23, is a Nashville-based musician, who recently released his debut album, Nashville Demos. He met Kara, 25, at Bongo Java, where both work as baristas. They’ve been “hangin’ steady” for the past couple of months, and “it’s nice”.
Q. Describe your first date.
Oliver: We didn’t have one, and probably never will.
Kara: That’s not really our style.
Q. What’s your favorite thing about each other?
Oliver: She’s chill. As chill as they come, really. And always down to “hang,” without it having to “mean” something cryptic. Plus she’s cool as fuck. And holds her own. I’ve the utmost respect for her.
Kara: I’m a top five girl: his challenging and stimulating perspective, his boldness, stories, passion, and sense of self.
Q. What’s the biggest obstacle to your relationship?
Oliver: Overthinking it.
Kara: The negative energy caused by imbalance.
