Just Friends EM Whitman

    

    My love language is words, but your actions make me fall even deeper for you. I often reread your texts, but I find myself replaying the moments we share in my mind the most. Your big, bright smile lights up my days when I thought I could only see darkness. You remind me to pray and seek God, guiding me down the right path. I've known you for years, yet I discover something new about you every time you speak.

 

When I learned that you love to read, I couldn't help but think, “It would be wonderful if you appreciated my writing as much as you do others when I become an author.” I write scripts in my head, and you improvise; perhaps planning this isn't the best idea.

 

One day, I woke up to reality, anxiety swirling about what I needed to do. I found you and said, “We need to talk.” My fingers trembled, my heart pounded, and I could tell you were a little nervous too. "What do you need to talk about?" you asked, your voice slightly shaking as you tried to conceal your nerves.

 

“I…” I began, repeating the word until I found the confidence to finish. “I like you.” I noticed a look of surprise on your face. “I’m only telling you because everyone else seems to have figured it out, and I thought you’d prefer to hear it from me.” Your expression shifted to understanding. "Thank you for telling me," you said, reassuring me that I had done the right thing. I laughed nervously; I had never done this before. What was I supposed to do next?

 

Two weeks later, we sat on the sidewalk, talking, and nothing seemed to have changed. “Did you tell anyone besides your mom?” I asked, surprising myself with my lack of nervousness despite all the overthinking I had done during those weeks. Did you like me? I was scared if you did.

 

“I told my dad, no one else. I’m sorry we haven’t talked about this sooner—it's been a couple of weeks,” you replied. “It’s okay; there’s really nothing to discuss anyway,” I said.

 

That night, I lay in bed, realizing that I should have asked you if there was anything you wanted to talk about. The next day, I approached you and asked, “So, is there anything you wanted to discuss?”

 

“Yeah, I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate you telling me that you like me, but I don’t like you in that way. I still want to remain friends,” you said.

 

“Oh, yes, of course! I understand,” I replied, knowing that I can’t make you like me. It’s neither your fault nor mine.

 

Now I'm finishing up your sister's gift, and I can’t wait to see her reaction. I can’t believe I realized my feelings for you on October 5, 2023. Here’s something crazy I didn’t tell you, and I’m glad I didn’t because I didn’t want to scare you away: the day I discovered my feelings for you is the same day you got baptized, just in a different year—2024.

 

Hopefully, you won’t read this, but if you do, just remember that while I like you, we were friends first. Please don’t hesitate to talk and ask questions. I want to be there for you more than anything. We agreed that we wanted to be just friends anyway.