I Love You

i would like you to know how greatly i have appreciated our time together. you have shown me so much of myself, and supported me in ways i cannot even begin to describe.

i have listened, and have heard that you are in a vulnerable, perhaps even broken, place. i feel the sadness; the pain. i’ve also had little faith that intimate relationships can end in anything other than hurt. but, i can’t believe that shutting ourselves off is the answer. and, for some reason, this time, it feels different. can you feel it too?

i’ve never been more certain of anything in my life: this love we have is eternal. i’ve seen it.

i would give anything to see you smile, to know your heart is whole and your days filled with the love you deserve.

please, allow me to be clear: i am not asking you to satisfy my needs or deny yourself in any way … what i *am* asking is for you to BE WITH ME. and i promise you this: i will never abandon you.

should you choose to leave again, it may take time but i will understand. i wish you nothing but the best. and, please trust — i will find my own path. but i have met no one i would rather work and play, struggle and thrive, live and die with. i would like to come clean together. to heal, and show that healing to the world. to remember. to come back.

i would give anything to see you smile, to know your heart is whole and your days filled with all the love you deserve.

This piece was originally published Jan. 13, 2021