Falling

He was strong. He was beautiful. He was brave. He was all kinds of good things. He seemed like nothing could ever bring him down, for his faith was impenetrable.

But then, love came along. She came along.

He fell. He fell for her beauty- thinking that she was the most beautiful woman in the world, that her smile could light up the entire universe, that her eyes held all the things that he ever dreamed of, and that no one could ever compete against her. He fell for her attitude- the way that she could respond to anything she was told with fire and snark in her words, the way that she saw everything as a challenge and how she would easily win if she so badly wanted, the way that she keeps her facade even with all the pain she's enduring, and the way that she regained her composure after dealing with the past that brought her down. He fell for her charm, the way she could walk in a room and turn heads, the way she could walk confidently without faltering with all the attention she's getting, the way that she could make anybody fall for her even by just using words, and the way that she could instantly make a stranger her friend. He fell for her passion- the way she spoke like a poet because of her love for words, the way that she treated food like an art, the way that she expresses the emotions she felt when she reads so openly, eagerly flipping the pages as invisible gears turned in her head while her imaginations run wild, the way that she would stroke her pencils and brushes as she drew with all her passion, and the way that she wrote stories with so much wonder and delight, filling every page with her own adventures and imaginations, bringing them to life.

But she kept more secrets than he thought. She was broken, and he wasn't the person meant to fix her. She was corrupted, and he wasn't the one meant bring back the good in her. She was falling, but he wasn't the one meant to catch her. She wasn't the one meant for him. But he didn't know that.

He let himself fall, and she let him as well. For she was selfish. She knew his weakness, and it was her. Perhaps she wanted him all to herself, or perhaps she just wanted someone. Anyone. She was eager to be mended. She was eager to be loved. She was eager to be distracted from all the evil in the world, from all the suffering and helplessness she felt. She thought he would be able to take her problems away. She thought he would be able to save her, that he could be her knight-in-shining-armor, or maybe her Prince Charming. But her life wasn't meant to be a fairytale, and she has to work harder to deserve her happy ending.

She was unhappy. She didn't want him, but she didn't want to hurt him either. And then she fell. But not for him. She fell for another, and so, again, he fell. But this time, he fell in a different way. His walls crumbled, his defenses were now penetrated, his once whole, loving heart now razed, torn, broken and in pieces, and his once strong self, now rendered powerless.

He was broken. All because he fell for her.

She never meant to hurt him. But it was love. Love is powerful. You risk many things when you love. It's just a matter of whether you'll stand up once you've fallen, or you'll leave your shattered self be.