Couples Treat Each Other Worse Than Friends

A lot of what couples do for each other is due to obligation, specifically couples act in accordance to what they believe couples should do for each other.
I overheard a couple at a café where one asked to be brought water to which the other replied “you can get it yourself”. The first responded “that’s not very romantic of you”. This implies there’s a common understanding of what couples are meant to do for each other – not people as friends but specifically couples.
Couples who have committed to each other uncritically may act in ways that resemble “what’s the worst we can be while still fulfilling our couple obligations?” rather than “what’s the best version of ourselves we can be?”.