I’ve known you for years
Yet you never cried
Never once have I seen you cry

You were rambunctious
You were resolute
You were everything I was not

But then came a day
We sat in the car
Your mom silently driving home

You received a text—
Condolences
Your tears started flowing at once

I sat in the back
Unsure what to say
Your sobs ringing in my ears

For once I have seen
What I never have
Your vulnerability.

I say I liked him, but in truth, I never did.
It was always you.
It was you who was there for me
It was you who knew most about me
It was you who saw my highest and lowest
It was you who understood me
It was you who recalled every story I told
It was you whose kindness affected me
It was you who always looked out for me
It was you whose opinion I valued most
It was you whom I texted despite my situation
It was you whom I strive to be with
It was you who always knew what to say
It was you who never left me alone
It was you whom I stayed up late with texting
It was you who never left my mind
It was you, and always will be you.

I was too naive
To accept the fact
I could never be
The one that you like