You think it’s just one of those petty love quarrels or another alright-you-can-resolve-this-problem-anyway. But think again. Life is full of surprises, and small things come in big packages. You may never know what’s in store for you and your partner so it pays to be aware of the symptoms and signs in connection with the status of your relationship. Is one or are both parties “guilty” of any or all of the following? Are you drifting away from each other? Below are some hints:

1. In the middle of a luncheon date, you surprisingly utter, “I don’t see you anymore.” It’s presumably like checking the attendance and the number of days absent is more than the number of days present. The quantity and even the quality of presence is lacking, thus little time is spent with each other.

2. You don’t tend to explain why you’re late for over an hour for a meeting, as if not taking into consideration the waiting time and at the very least, word of honor. You expect you will always be given due comprehension on everything you do, besides, being punctual is not a new issue between the two of you. It’s always been a problem that you think it’s not important enough to find solutions for it.

3. Calls are barely made; visits are rarely done. The everyday routine of calling each other hour after hour even during office hours and likewise the visits every weekend diminish as the days go by.

4. Listening even to interesting stories and intelligent insights is by far unimportant and rather divert into other activities. You’d rather read that new text message from a friend than take time to listen attentively to the things which are usually appreciated and anticipated by you then. .

5. Old traditions are nearly forgotten. Your Friday afternoon walk at the park and the snack at the ice cream parlor is there since time immemorial and never been once missed but now three Fridays have passed and no walk was made nor ice cream tasted.

6. Unexpected changes suddenly arise. Picking you up from the party has been pre-settled and decided upon by both of you before the day itself. At the last minute, there’s a call saying the plan is being changed — it’s going home by and with yourself.

7. Excuses are not accepted by heart. Your arrival at the airport from a long flight is not welcomed. The excuse? The rains are very hard; the conclusion is that the flight is to be cancelled because of the bad, bad weather. True, but you feel it isn’t valid a reason and there’s no way you will nod to that kind of reasoning.

8. A heavy feeling follows whenever you set to see each other again. “Oh no, we’re meeting tomorrow… again?” Then a sigh, a long one will be heard and treats it as if it’s a very burdened task to undertake or to accomplish, or an impossibility you feel you may want to give up and trash out the notion altogether.

9. Fights are here, there, and everywhere. Days aren’t complete without heated debates; nights aren’t complete without shouts and raised voices. Differences are discussed, yes, but in public places, mostly, and in the wee hours…even when family and friends are within earshot of these fights.

10. Priorities are not that defined. The softball game and the much-awaited vacation seem to have the same schedule. Then you ask, which is which? Is it the game or the vacation? Choosing one means dropping another. A difficult question, huh? There’s confusion and don’t be surprised if the game rules.

11. You don’t seem to care whether you are misunderstood or not. Doesn’t matter if you’re speaking in a different language. Doesn’t matter when your very thought can’t come across. Doesn’t matter if it becomes the core of a new angle of miscommunication. Your motto appears to be that of something along this line: “Who cares? Nobody cares!”

12. Physical intimacy slowly dies down. You hardly hold hands. The kiss whenever you see each other is gone. Even the cute pinch on the biceps is nowhere in sight. The premise is that any contact made results in unlikely friction. You’re not used to the sweetness and concern your partner extended to you in the past.

First Aid: Study the situation together. Or better yet have some more distance between each other. Or whatever which might be working for you. Then take it from there. Talk it over. All you need is tea, time and teamwork.