Love is like literature, and like literature, it comes in different genres. The beginning and ending of each love story are different. The characters and plot twists vary, and from time to time, love can end in a horrible cliffhanger, leaving us without the solace of knowing why or how. Love affects us, regardless of how it comes into our lives. It changes us, teaches us, and when it’s over, it even ruins us. Kind of like when you finish a good book, and you have no idea what to do with the sudden arrival of spare time. Each person is an anthology of love stories because no two people experience love in the same exact way. Here are three love stories that everyone stars in at some point in their lives.

Fairy Tale love story

Normally your first love, the fairy tale love story mimics everything you see on film. It’s a dramatic love tale that convinces you into thinking that you’ve met the love of your life. When that love comes to an end, you’re left with a shattered heart that, in retrospect, wasn’t even that serious in comparison to the other stories of heartache you will have acquired with time. This love is a live-action Disney movie, and while this story unfurls, you try so that each moment of it is perfect. Even if you’re unhappy in this relationship, you make it your duty to pretend that everything is alright, because that’s what you thought love was, a series of perfect events. With time you learn that you were lying to yourself and you no longer pine for this sort of love because it’s just too much work to keep up with perfection.

Life-wrecking love story

The most destructive love story of all starts fast and ends slowly. You meet, hit it off immediately and you think that it has to be true love because no one falls for someone this quickly. The relationship is intense. The highs go beyond the sky, and the lows are a living nightmare. When this love story comes to an end, your life is a collection of scraps that you try to bind together without any luck. It’ll take months, maybe years, for life to feel like living again. You feel lost and without purpose, but you learn. You learn not to be fooled by the speed at which you fall in love. You learn to see the red flags. You learn that loving doesn’t have to be painful for it to mean something.

Mature adult love story

The type of love story that changes you the most is the mature adult type. You’re no longer focused on how good they look or how cool they are. I mean, that still matters, but it matters less. You learn to focus on how that person adds on to your life and how they’ve improved your day today. There are sweet moments and difficult ones too, but truth be told, the difficult ones in this tale are more meaningful. You talk things out, you help each other understand. It’s no longer soul-shattering pain, but a healthy, good love in the midst of adversity. This love is based on consciously deciding to love this person, every day. No matter what. It’s a cohesive love made for building a life together. It’s love that doesn’t need fancy schmancy, it thrives on the mundane. It’s love that feels like home, and yes, that’s cheesy, but it’s true.