When you're scrubbing the toilet or scraping that last stubborn bit of grease off of the pan after dinner, "sexy" is probably the last word you'd use to describe yourself. But Michael Oonk, 39, of Plano, Texas, is proving that there's no better way to woo your lady—or the whole internet—than by simply doing the chores.
Oonk's girlfriend, Laine Murray, is a realtor and "a very busy woman," he told Best Life. She also is a domestic violence survivor, who volunteers with the Genesis Women's Shelter and Support, which helps women reclaim their lives in a safe space after experiencing domestic violence. That means only women are allowed to be there.
One Friday night in March, Murray was volunteering at the shelter, and Oonk found himself with a little free time on his hands. "I'm sitting around the house with nothing to do," he recalled. "I figured I could watch TV for five hours, but then I saw that the house was a mess and thought it might be nice for her to come home to a clean house."
Courtesy of Michael Oonk and Laine Murray
He did what seems like every bit of housework imaginable, including cleaning the kitchen, scrubbing the toilet, and the laundry—his least favorite chore.
"I will clean the kitchen over laundry any day," he said.
Courtesy of Michael Oonk and Laine Murray
All the while, he snapped selfies so he could show off his hard work to Murray, who found his version of sexting to be very funny.
Courtesy of Michael Oonk and Laine Murray
"Then I did what any man my age would do, which is gloat about it," Oonk said with a laugh. "So I put the photos up on Facebook."
Courtesy of Michael Oonk and Laine Murray
Oonk jokingly captioned the photos on Facebook, "How to send sexy pictures to your lady."
They immediately began to go viral, and have received more than 88,000 likes since they were posted on March 8th. Women have been praising Oonk as "the perfect boyfriend" and have tagged their own partners, telling them to take notes.
Courtesy of Michael Oonk and Laine Murray
He even got a fair share of romantic advances! “She's not that pleased about all of the proposals," Oonk said of Murray, chuckling. "She got a shirt made with her face so everyone knows she’s in a relationship.”
Oonk said that he was "shocked" that he got as much attention as he did for doing something so ordinary. "I thought that post would get anywhere between seven and 20 likes," he said. "Laine and I both take on the responsibilities of running the home. This was just something that I did for her that night because she was doing something and I couldn't be there."
Courtesy of Michael Oonk and Laine Murray
Oonk and Murray met a little over a year ago, after he contacted her on Facebook about doing some roofing and construction work for her real estate company.
"We stayed in touch afterwards, and then I asked her to come sailing with me on my sailboat one day and the rest is history," he said.
Courtesy of Michael Oonk and Laine Murray
They fell in love, and Oonk said he's planning on proposing soon.
"Every day I pinch myself," he beemed. "She works hard, she's got a lot of values and ideals that she stands for. I’m blessed to be with her.”
Courtesy of Michael Oonk and Laine Murray
And the sweet gestures aren't only going one way in their relationship. Murray also does little things every day to show she cares about Oonk, like leaving love notes in his cooler and sending him text messages out of the blue to say she's proud of him.
Courtesy of Michael Oonk and Laine Murray
Oonk hopes the photos remind people that it's often the small, everyday gestures that show our partners how much we love and appreciate them.
"Ultimately, your actions are what you’re judged by, not your words or what you say you’re going to do," he said. "If she’s having a tough day, buy her flowers. I buy Laine flowers every single week so she always has fresh flowers to look at. The little things add up.”
And for more on the true art of romance, check out 40 Old-Fashioned Relationship Tips That Still Apply Today.
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