I got this question yesterday, “We are always told to show not tell. How can you show love?” I think too many beginning writers take the easy way out and write a sex scene thinking that indicates love. Stop and think. Have you ever had sex and wondered afterward, “What was that all about?” Sometimes sex is just sex. It is not an indicator of love!
Love does not just happen. A couple may have a very enjoyable date. One of them shares with the reader their way of thinking about how great the date was. I need to backup and say something about your narrator. Is it one member of the couple? Is it an omniscient narrator? Is it a trustworthy narrator? Let’s say our narrator is one of the two people on the date. Both parties after a very enjoyable date could think, “I wonder if s/he is the one?”
The next step in the romance is usually a very small step. S/he remembers something that was said on an earlier date. They might stop at a burger place and one of them remembers that the other does not like the “secret sauce” on their burger. Do you see easy it would be easy for her/him to wonder about their relationship? With a little bit of thought you can easily show a developing love relationship. No need for sex.
