I admit it: I can be a cheesy romantic. Not necessarily the chocolates-in-a-heart-shaped-box with a serenade-in-candlelight-with-rose-pedals kind of cheesy (well, not always). Hopefully more of the creative-surprise-with-a-caress-of-intimacy kind.

Or maybe not. I don't know. You be the judge:

It was freshman year of college. More than a decade ago. My excuse is my relative youth probably contributed to this random act of romance. Really.

On Valentine's morning, I went up to the front desk of my college girlfriend's dorm. It was an hour before her first class. Normally, I slept in because I didn't have any classes that day. I remember hoping that would make this cheesy act more of a surprise.

The concierge and security guard both had droopy eyelids. I gave the concierge a package and told him to buzz her room. He yawned as he buzzed her and told her to come and pick it up, without saying what it was or who it was from.

It was a bouquet of white lilies, her favorite flowers. At the center was a note with one letter on it: "I"

While she came down to get the delivery, I sneaked by a sleepy guard and up the stairs to her room. It's perhaps unsettling that it was that easy to sneak into our college dorms, but I wasn't thinking about that at the time. (By the way, don't try this now, since security at college dorms has been beefed up since 9/11.)

At her door, I hung another bouquet of white lilies, along with another note: "Love"

Then I sprinted back downstairs. At the ground floor, I peeked out the door. The concierge was just sitting there, yawning. The first bouquet was gone. That meant she had picked it up. So I went up to him and gave him one last package to deliver.

If you can guess what I gave him, gold star for you for having a cheesy romantic mind too!

The concierge grinned when I handed him the final bouquet of white lilies with the note: "You"

Cheesy, I know. Some of you are probably vomiting a little in your mouths right now.

But when you're young and in love, nothing seems cheesy to you. Everything seems right and perfect and powerful. The world is one huge poem and every love song is singing about you.

Then you get older, look back, and think to yourself, "Damn, that was cheesy!"

. . .

What is a cheesy romantic thing you've done?