I said that I wanted the time back, but that isn't close to the truth.
If this was what it took to bring us together, then it was all worth it.
Every single miserable second of it.
I wouldn't erase a single part of the past.
You, a close confidant, a listening ear, a defender, an inspiration, an understanding companion who takes the time to truly know me, and most importantly, a dear and loyal friend to whom I owe so much.
You're one of the three people who has ever even come close to my core, to my soul.
If I altered the past, if I wiped it from the course of time, there would have been no other circumstances under which we would have come to know each other. Your friendship was worth it all.
You're more like me than I ever would have thought, and you've helped me to balance looking out for myself with looking out for the needs of others, which is something I so desperately needed to learn to do because when you met me, I was beaten down and worn out from constantly defending everyone but myself.
You helped me come to terms with the harsh realities I had been avoiding. You aided me tearing free from the veil of uncertainty and internalized fear that I had been so hesitant to rip away.
You've helped me learn to be comfortable with my own company, to be comfortable with the thought of being alone, although you know there are always those loving souls standing behind you.
You've opened me up to new passions, to new experiences, to new ways of thinking that I never thought I would dare venture out into.
I've, without a doubt, never been truly happier than I am now, and even if you don't realize it, I owe so much of it to you.
Every minute of the hysterically loud laughter we share restores a little bit more of the light that once filled my eyes.
For that, I can never thank you enough.