Thanks for the clarification. In that case I see where your point comes from: if they are to be there, there must be a meaningful reason for it. When it comes to writing quality that seems the most appropriate way to handle them, as it helps cement these moments as the relationship changers you wish them to be. A case of "less is more", to put it simply.
I support your approach wholeheartedly, but then again I'm not the only fan of this story. Still, I'm confident you can come up with something good regardless. You seem a good enough writer to pull it off.