History Main / ItMeantSomethingToMe

* As does ''Tangled'', the 2001 film.

* ''Manga/{{Evangelion 303}}'': Subverted. Saburo broke up with Kaworu and regretted it. He wanted to get Kaworu back but Kaworu had moved on for then, and Saburo started to wonder if [[WasItAllALie Kaworu had been lying to him the whole time]]. However Kaworu had been just so committed.

[[folder:Film]]
* In ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine'', Wolverine furiously tells this to Silver Fox when she ashamedly reveals him that their relationship was all a lie, as she was actually an undercover agent for Stryker who was sent to secretly keep an eye on him after he quit Team X. Turns out she felt the same way, despite her denials to the contrary.

* Possibly the most triumphant example being ''Film/VanillaSky'', with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz's characters finally hashing it out in a moving car. Cameron Diaz is driving. She's very despondent. It doesn't end well.
** Tearfully "I swallowed your cum. That means something!"

--> '''Ernie:''' Happens to me at least once every party. Some guy comes up to me and says "Thank you for making this happen… I needed this. This really meant something to me." And they nod… and I nod back.
* As does ''Tangled'', the 2001 film.
--> '''Alan:''' [Crying] I loved you! Tell me I meant something to you!
* After having sex, the titular characters of ''Film/ZackAndMiriMakeAPorno'' feel something for each other. Zack is the first to admit it, with Miri denying she felt anything because she thought Zack had sex with another actress and didn't reciprocate her feelings… and then Zack leaving, because he thought Miri had had sex with one of the porno's actors. This may be a theme in Creator/KevinSmith's films.

* In ''Film/SomeKindOfWonderful'', [[GreenEyedEpiphany Watts]] [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy tries to coach]] best friend Keith on his date with [[LovableAlphaBitch Amanda Jones]] with a PracticeKiss--followed by Keith ribbing her because she was blushing.

--> '''Ramona:''' ''[shrugging]'' I was just a bi-curious. \\
'''Roxie:''' Well honey...(cracks knuckles)...I'm a little bi-''FURIOUS!!''
* AMinorKidroduction of ''Film/{{Black Widow|2021}}'' shows Natasha Romanoff as the older daughter of a seemingly "normal" family of four living in the suburbs of Ohio, before it's revealed that this isn't her biological family at all; her "parents", Alexei and Melina, were a pair of Russian agents assigned to steal information from HYDRA, while Natasha and her "younger sister" Yelena were just there to be part of the ruse, and after the three-year mission was complete, were given over to the Red Room to be trained as Black Widows. Nevertheless, Yelena thought of them as [[FamilyOfChoice a real family]] because this is the only childhood she had, and is hurt by the rest of them saying it was just a mission and nothing more. Nat reveals to her at the end of the movie that it ''was'' real for her, too, and it's made pretty clear that Melina and Alexei both feel the same way.

* In ''[[Literature/TheSwordOfTruth Stone Of Tears]]'', after one of Richard's teachers (the one closest to him) is revealed as a villain (after trying to drain his gift and life out of him), Richard said that he thought she cared about him… and she answered that maybe she did, and that's why she tried to '''drain''' his gift instead of bleeding it out of him--which is normally accomplished by FlayingAlive the person in question.
* At the end of ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' [[spoiler:this happens between Peeta and Katniss. She thought their romance was all for the cameras; he truly did love her and thought she had finally begun to reciprocate.]]

* Chase says this to Cameron in ''Series/{{House}}'' and she immediately breaks up their "friends with benefits" relationship, claiming that she warned him not to fall in love with her. She did explicitly warn him and she does end up marrying him, at least for a time before [[spoiler:she couldn't forgive him for killing a patient on purpose, even if the patient ''was'' a terrible dictator. Or rather, she could not come to terms with his having accepted what he did (ie, would NOT undo it given the chance).]]
** Played beautifully straight in a later episode, leading up to them possibly getting back together. But then not (at least they got closure).

* Denise proposed a FWB arrangement with Brad on ''Series/BostonLegal'', which ended when Brad realized he wasn't comfortable with it. When she found out she was pregnant with Brad's baby, she agreed to marry him.
* Happens in ''Series/NedAndStacey'' during [[spoiler: the series finale on the former's part]].
* On ''Series/WillAndGrace'', it is revealed that an old girlfriend of Leo's, Diane, is the only woman Will ever had sex with. He attempts to comfort a jealous Grace by telling her it meant absolutely nothing and he only did it to verify his gayness, whereupon Diane bursts out that it meant a lot to her and was in fact the only time she'd ever had an orgasm.
-->'''Leo:''' [[BigWhat WHAT?!]]

* On ''Series/MyNameIsEarl'', when Joy was still married to Earl (but having an affair with Darnell), a recurring problem in Joy and Darnell's illicit relationship is that it's all about sex. Joy is OK with that [[spoiler: (she actually did love Earl and wasn't ready to leave him at that point)]], but Darnell wants to actually go out on dates and be a real couple. Joy tells him that it's out of the question because she's already married, and the two proceed to argue. [[spoiler: She angrily dumps him for a while, but they eventually get back together… and a few years (and a ChocolateBaby) later she finally leaves Earl for Darnell.]]

--> ''She had a place in his life./He never made her think twice.''

* ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrangeBeforeTheStorm'': Chloe mentions in her journal that she hooked up with Eliot before the start of the game, but "it didn't mean anything." It's implied she lost her virginity to him. They've drifted apart since, and Chloe spends the game pining after Rachel, but Eliot is struggling to rekindle what he thought they had. [[spoiler:It turns out he's been stalking Chloe, culminating in him cornering her and demanding she realize how terrible Rachel is. Chloe has to call the cops on him to escape]].

* Given an interesting twist in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyTrialsAndTribulations''. Obviously Phoenix meant nothing to Dahlia… [[spoiler: but all the emotional moments Phoenix had with Dahlia were really with her substituted twin sister Iris. And to Iris, Phoenix ''did'' mean something.]]

* A non-romantic version can be found in ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'': [[spoiler: Hoh]] asks Bam if he really thought that they were friends just because of a signature on a friendship list. He did.

* In a platonic version, Baby Doll from ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' practically name-drops the trope when talking about how her former show (and thus sitcom family) was "real to me!"

* Early on in ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'', Kaname and Sousuke get into a fight after Sousuke bails on a study date for a mission and [[NoSocialSkills flounders hopelessly]] at his attempts to apologize. When Sousuke cites his duty to protect her as a reason he wishes to patch things up, Kaname blows up at him for once again prioritizing his missions over everything, tells him to [[ItDoesntMeanAnything stop pretending he actually cares about her when it's just his job]], and insists [[{{Tsundere}} she couldn't possibly care less about him either]]. It's only after she runs off that she realizes that not only does guarding her [[BodyguardCrush mean]] [[WorthLivingFor far]] [[IUhYouToo more]] to him than just a job, but also that he genuinely believes she meant everything she said.
* In an early episode of ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'', Kyon gets Yuki a library card, since that's the only way to get her out of the library and to the meeting with Haruhi in a reasonable timeframe. Kyon thinks nothing of it but during ''The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya'', [[spoiler:when Yuki rewrites the world so that she's a normal human, she is careful to keep that memory]].

* ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'': Sheryl initially came to Akira out of desperation, attempting to barter the only thing she had, her body, in a last ditch appeal for his help. As part of earning his help, she has to work as a gang leader with them being in a fake relationship being a key part of her legitimacy as such, with Sheryl seemingly still having the goal of manipulating Akira. It’s only after Akira holds and comforts Sheryl during a HeroicBSOD that Sheryl falls for him for real, but with Akira’s TheParanoiac suspicions and especially TraumaButton about falling into a HoneyTrap, the damage was already done, and during a BathTubBonding scene, Sheryl [[DoggedNiceGirl decides to slowly earn Akira’s trust]] as a precursor to trying to win his heart.

* In ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'', [[spoiler:Battler's promise to Shannon that he would take her away from Rokkenjima on a white horse didn't really mean anything to Battler, since he was just trying to show off to her and he later forgot about it completely. To Shannon, however, it meant ''a lot'', and the fact that he so easily forgot about this promise factors into quite a few of her issues.]]

* Subtle version in ''Series/{{Firefly}}'': Mal and Inara dress up and [[UndercoverAsLovers pretend to be a couple to go stake out the villain of the week together at a theater]]. No big deal is made of this. Mal agrees to help a friend of Inara fight against the villain, one thing leads to another, [[CryCute Inara]] [[LoveHurts finds out]].

Sub-trope to FakeRelationship. Compare BecomingTheMask. May also be stated after asking the question, "WasItAllALie".

* In ''Life as We Know It'', Holly and Messer are forced to live together like husband and wife and raise their goddaughter after her parents die. Of course, they hate each other but grow to like each other. After it gets too serious, Messer leaves for a job in Phoenix. He comes back for Thanksgiving, after which Holly gets with [[RomanticFalseLead Sam]]. Messer admits that he actually loved Holly.