When I was a child, love was a fantastical idea. Back then, it was all about finding your Prince Charming; someone who would rescue you on a white horse, give you one kiss, and ask to marry you. A tad bit older, and love seemed to be more about material gain. You find a cute, rich guy, and you use your charms to make him fall in love. As a younger teenager, my ideas of love were still fantastical. There would be a wild, crazy fling, complete with dramatic, loud fights and kissing in the rain. Both people would fall madly in love, get married, have 10 kids, and spend the rest of their lives on the porch swing of their country home.
But love is so much more than all of that. And you're the one who's taught me this.
In a way, yes, you are my Prince Charming; you've saved me many times. But, at the same time, you're not. You're so much more than that. You don't hide behind an allure of good looks and charisma. You don't treat me like a damsel in distress who NEEDS you. You didn't rush in to things with me. You don't act like I'm some silly girl who can't help herself. No, you do none of that. Instead, you show me that while you may save me once in a while, I am very capable of saving myself, and saving you at times, too. You treat me like an independent woman who doesn't actually need you in my life, but instead chooses to be with you out of pure love. You know I'm intelligent and have many talents, and instead of being threatened by that fact, you encourage it. You are real and honest with me, always, even when it hurts. You don't hide behind some mask of what you're supposed to be. That, to me, is love.
We don't have a wild, crazy fling. That doesn't mean we don't have passion. We have loud, dramatic fights, and we've kissed in the rain, but it's not like the movies. Love is not like the movies. Yes, we'll grow old together and have our children, but it's not a necessary part of loving someone. You've shown me that nothing is really mandatory, as long as two people love each other.
I think what I love most is the comfort. Being around you is so comfortable, so easy. It's like being in a room with another me, but different, because you're a lot cooler. I don't have to pretend around you. Everything comes so naturally. When you're with me, even the silence is comfortable. I like that.
You've shown me that love is supportive, unconditional, nonjudgmental, and caring. Love goes deeper than a combination of common interests, life goals, and ethic values. We're so different, but you support me, and you don't judge me, even though we differ a lot. You love me through everything, with no thought of compensation, except to make me happy. You care for me, whether it be a physical illness or an emotional breakdown. You've shown me that we might spend the whole day having a debate about which band is better, but at the end of the day, we respect each other's opinions, and the debate does not delve in to anything deeper.
You've also shown me that love is forgiving. I can't count the number of times you've forgiven and stood by me. It seems nothing I can do can make you love me any less. It seems you'll always forgive me, and I'm trying my hardest not to take that for granted.
You've shown me that love doesn't care about the past. You know all my deep, dark secrets, and about some of the things I've done, yet you decide to let it stay in the past, and love me through it. You tell me not to beat myself up about it, and to love myself. I may think I don't deserve your love, but love doesn't choose who's worthy and who isn't.
You've shown me that love is blind, and I don't mean that in the way where you ignore my shortcomings. I mean that as in, love doesn't see physical appearances. Love looks past a bad hair day, a chubby stomach, and a few pimples in to the heart and soul of a person. Love is more attracted to that than anything. Love judges beauty by the inside.
You've shown me real, true love. Something better than any movie or book could ever portray.
If I could, I'd go back in time, just to smile and tell myself to be patient and listen to my heart. True love starts there.