Don't know what people in relationships generally do, but what I do know is that misunderstandings (either one-sided or two-sided) happen much more frequently than you might think, and that those same misunderstandings can cause a plethora of much more serious problems.
(Proof: the plot of every single damn romantic comedy could easily be resolved with honest communication very early on. Yes, even the one where the woman pretends to be about to marry her employee to avoid being kicked out of the US, except they should have explained the situation to the guy's family. No, I don't like romantic comedies. In no small part because when those "cute" misunderstandings happen IRL, it doesn't end happily for everyone.)