Quality Love Vs Quantity Of Love

(My boyfriend likes to joke around and make fun of me a lot. It’s usually good-natured, but he knows he’s gone too far when I get quiet and stop the joking. His way of apologizing is to say ‘I love you’ until I say it back. He can gauge how angry I am by how many times he has to say it before I return the sentiment.)

Boyfriend: *after insinuating I will suck at the career that I’ve been training nearly 8 years for* “I love you.”

Me: “Mm-hmm.”

Boyfriend: “I looooooooove you.”

Me: “Right.”

Boyfriend: “I. Love. You.”

Me: “Okay, that’s nice.”

Boyfriend: “I LOVE YOU!”

Me: “I know.”

Boyfriend: *in quick succession* “I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you!”

Me: *sigh* “I love you, too.”

Boyfriend: “You were really pissed. Gods, woman, lighten up.”

(Silence.)

Boyfriend: “Um… I love you?”