"Life is like a brick wall.
Whenever something good happens
You add a brick.
But when something bad happens,
The wall breaks apart.
The point of life is that we keep
Building and repairing that wall.
Once we reach the end of our life,
The wall will be be so strong that
We can rest in peace for
Eternity"

-*Evan Kruck

So I suppose I shouldn't be surprised
But he wants to come to my aid
Rescue me from flirts that look like ******-Doo's Shaggy
I just don't think he realizes he's already saved me
I am no longer a damsel in distress
He showed the tower was never locked
I had a key the whole time
Now, he's so incredibly patient as I ease my way out
Loving me so fiercely; I can't help it
I love me, too
I always have, he just made me realize it
Anxiety consumes my soul like Man's Red Flower in Jungle Book
Oceans of fear splash across my brain
But my heart, although racing, is at peace
Even as I lose sight of who I am
He reminds me my imperfections are beautiful
He reminds me I am loved
He reminds me I am enough
And I feel safe
I've never known such peace
Never known such an unfailing love
I've said it before, but never will I stop believing
He is the sun; so am I
I have hope
I love him more than I ever thought possible
He is a saint
And I am lucky to call him mine
In any sense of the word

And I realized
he is the sun
but so am I
We just shine differently

It will be far more powerful
To look someone alive in the eye
Rather than dead

I am beginning to realize that
There are things in life
That will not matter in the end
For example my high school GPA
There are things so much more beautiful
And important
Like being a mother
A lover
A sister
A daughter
A friend
A human
And I am striving to be all those at once
Rather than stressing over how
I will finish my senior year
As I transition into the real world
Where I'll attend college with my best friend
Who unknowingly has made me see all this

I can look him
In the eye and whisper
"I love you"

I've been keeping
A list of things about him
Anything I feel important
Gets noted
His favorite color is green
He has a golden doodle
her name is Sadie
He has auto-immune encephalitis
He swears like it's going out of style
But makes it so suave
Etc. Etc. Etc.

He was feeling sad
Broken
Unappreciated
So I told him to hang on a minute
I needed to get my bag from the car
I threw in my shoes, forgetting socks,
I didn't even grab my jacket
The rain tried to drown me
As I accomplished my mission
I took a few pictures of this list
And hit send

I thought I ****** up
45 minutes went by and
He hadn't said anything
My anxiety was kicking in so
I played first person shooters
With my baby brother
I love that kid
My phone vibrated
Sending pulses of panic
Throughout my existence
"Wow"
One word, no explanation

"Truly amazing"
"No one knows me that well"
The short texts of amazement kept streaming in
Vibration after vibration
He was so happy
That didn't stop him from
Mentioning that he hates
This whole being single thing
But it's for the best when
You've been cheated on by five girls
Again I helped

"Sorry for being clingy the past few days"
I shot an hour or so later
He always tells me it's okay
But I don't think it is
Without missing a beat
He replied
"I love it"
I cried

I cried because
like I told him
He "just made my heart smile
So much that tears fell
No one's ever said anything
Like that me and it washed some
Of my anxieties away"
I proceeded to thank him
He's my best friend so
There's always that love
That exists between friends
So I thanked him for it

He was confused
"Thank you for loving me Evan"
"Samm, I don't have to try to
I love you so much it comes naturally"
This man
So wonderful and imperfect
Yet so flawless
Made me cry again

My heart hasn't ever smiled before
I thought in the past that it has
But that was just butterflies
My heart smiled tonight
**And I've never been so
Sure

So I did what I've been conditioned to do
I texted my ex
At least ten times
I didn't call him baby
Or say I love you
I just asked him to talk to me
Because I was feeling suicidal

He didn't even reply

I confessed this to the man I
Actually love, the saint in my life,
And he asked why I didn't come to him
For the comfort I was seeking
But "Hey babe, I really want to pass out face
Down in a bubble bath after drinking two
Bottles of NyQuil so that I can just drown"
Isn't a great pickup line

But he's my best friend

He looked so hurt
Not by my not coming to him
But my thoughts of suicide
He couldn't fathom why I'd wish myself
Dead
And it was as though he was starting into my soul
"That's the thing about relationships" he started
"Your boyfriend is supposed to be your best friend"
He promised he'd always come
He's always going to be here for me

*And I've never loved anyone more

I had never been called beautiful
By a boy before
And yet he made my heart stop
Completely when he said it
He seemed so sure
As though it were fact
Not opinion

In stopping my heart he made
It start with a slightly different beat
I'm not saying he made realize
That I am far more than I credit myself
I've realized it before
But he made me believe in the word
I've worn it upon my throat for nearly seven
Months now, remembering that life is beautiful

I constantly remind him I'm broken and messy
Not the kind of girl you would
Take home to mama and put a ring on
Her left hand
I'm an *******
But then he called me beautiful and I
Realized that I am
Because life is beautiful
And I am life