Ok, now you've got a relationship and it's wonderful and exciting and just what you've always wanted-- great! I am truly glad you have found happiness.
Here I focus on how to keep that newfound happiness: on suggestions to help you avoid the common pitfalls and keep things running smoothly.
First, I know how great it is to get involved in something new. There's that tremendous rush of just plain good feeling, and it is absolutely wonderful. Everything just feels perfect and awesome and like it's going to last forever...
But don't get too carried away. I know you may feel great, like nothing could go wrong, but don't hurry. Don't promise yourself to him or her forever. Don't say "I love you" just because; don't make plans to get married. Take it easy; give yourself several months.
Don't push too hard to be around your new boyfriend/girlfriend, either. Yes, it's great to have someone, but remember, most people like their space. They don't want you to be hanging off them all the time-- it's not a personal thing; it's just the way they are.
If you insist on holding his or her hand all day, oftentimes you'll find yourself dumped by nightfall.
Besides, you already have a life, right? Don't forget to live it!
Don't rush into sexual things, either. This is discussed in detail in The Sex That Is Not Sex, but for now it suffices to say you are very likely to regret it if you jump into bed right away.
Bottom line: take your time. There is no need to rush! If you hurry you're going to screw things up-- and why do you need to hurry, anyway? Don't you have a future together? If you're that scared of your relationship falling apart that you want to rush everything, maybe you shouldn't be together.
Take it slow. Take it easy. It will pay off.
There is only one consistent activity that separates couples that stay together from the couples that break up: communication. Simply, you need to get to know each other to the point where you can tell "What's up?" How you do this depends on the two of you: sometimes you can read each other; other times you have to explain what's wrong, but in any case it should be something that you're both comfortable with.
You need to be able to talk to each other. Nothing is more important. If you can't get your points across you have no relationship-- and you do need to talk, to get to know each other, because eventually that romantic feeling that you feel so much of now is going to dim-- it's not going to go away, but it is going to dim, and you need to have something to "fall back" on. Sex is not the answer. Talking is.
Now what about phone conversations? Understand that some people don't like to use phones. But something like "Oh, I was really busy, so I couldn't call..."-- that excuse is good once. You shouldn't bend yourself to his or her schedule unless he or she reciprocates and bends to yours.
The same line of thought applies if he or she takes forever to call you back.
One suggestion, though: if you're having problems, don't just yell at the person! Take the time to do it nicely first-- explain exactly what you want; make sure he or she knows what you expect. The person simply may not know what's important to you. He or she never will if you don't tell him or her! If you just scream, you might be punishing him or her for doing something he or she didn't know was hurting you! However, if you explain how you feel, the person actually has an opportunity to fix it.
And remember to cut your partner a break-- if you can see he or she is trying, compliment him or her, don't complain that he or she could do better! Some people think that boyfriends and girlfriends should just bend over backwards for them-- and some will do that-- but frankly, that's not fair. Relationships should be close to 50-50, half-and-half-- forcing someone to grant your every wish is no different from that person forcing you to do his or her bidding.
Don't just give your partner a hard time-- and if you do tease him, make sure he or she knows you're just playing. People are dense sometimes, and can't always tell if you're just joking or being serious. Don't make him or her guess.
On the other hand, if the person doesn't treat you well, make sure he or she knows that acting like a jerk is not acceptable. Make sure he or she knows what you dislike. If he/she doesn't change at first, remind the person, then tell him it's over if he/she can't make amends. Don't stick with someone that treats you like trash. There are always better people out there.
The biggest problem with people acting like jerks is being around their friends. For some reason, people just have to look "cool" in front of their buddies-- but this is no excuse! If he or she cares enough to be with you, he or she better be willing to sacrifice that "cool" image he/she has with his/her friends.
But, on the flip side, don't expect him or her to stop talking with his friends just because he/she's dating you now. People have a right to hang out with their friends just like you do with yours. If he or she's always with his friends that's a problem, but as long as he/she takes the time to see you, let him/her be. You aren't in control of his/her life-- and you shouldn't be.
Also, check the signs of abuse.