I always liked you best at the movies,
a cozy darkness mostly concealing your face.
You were a blank canvas then,
I could impose whatever I wanted—
And I did so to make you love me.

I always liked you best in your bed,
Showing me, so carefully, your records one by one;
Side by side on our stomachs, still damp from the sweat of *******—
The closet light above our heads was harsh and unfriendly.
I put secret meaning in that moment, as if it would always matter to you as much as it mattered to me
I did so to make you love me.

I always liked you best when you talked about your future,
And all the things you’ll have to leave behind.
You could never commit to something sooner, leaving all this uncharted time between us,
I had hoped to serve as a worthy distraction, and
I did so to make you love me.

I always liked you best when I made you ***,
Your face too far away to kiss
Rapid crashing with the lights on.
You said it wasn’t easy—
You said it’s because I’m the kind of girl that doesn’t GET ******.
I memorized the pattern with the tenacity of a late night basement video game binge—
I did so to make you love me.