If you don't express in words what you want, no one but you will know what you want. Karma is a real thing, so dump people kindly. The least appropriate person will confess his love for you at the least appropriate time. You will likely fall for the man you least expected to fall for. Love means always having to say you're sorry (when you're wrong) ... And letting go of past fights for the sake of a better future. Grand gestures are overrated. Smaller ones, though, go a long way. Everyone comes with baggage, and you either choose to accept it or you don't. But if you do, you can't make them feel bad for it. Exes are the devil incarnated. Flirting is not cheating. You can't change people, save yourself the trouble of trying. Open and honest communication will help you avoid 90 minutes of a scripted mess. You really are your most beautiful when you're happy. And everyone around you suddenly looks more beautiful, too. Bad boys are a tired cliche. If he's not answering his phone, he's probably asleep. Or in the shower. Not dead, not sleeping with someone else, not breaking up with you. That said, a little teasing never hurt nobody. Be generous with your feelings. If you're into it, give it your all. A partner who encourages you to be kinder to your parents is a keeper. When you make a complete fool of yourself and he's still there, know you're on to something. You're fabulous by yourself, but you can be better with him. That's when you know.

Until recently, I've never been in a serious, adult relationship. Somehow, between my quest for independence and shortening attention span, true love just slipped away. So when I finally found "It," the only manual I had to fall back on was the movies I so diligently watched on my stay-at-home Friday nights. Turns out, even the kitschiest of films can provide a wealth of knowledge.