Hey, Stranger!

HIM: Hey! I've missed you. I'm sorry we haven't talked in awhile. Things have been so hectic lately.

WHAT SHE WANTED TO SAY: Hi! Where have you been these past few days? I missed you so bad it hurt. I have so many stories I wanted to tell you. Remember that little boy we always see playing by himself at the park? Well, he finally made a new friend. How about that Netflix show we've been binge-watching? Well, I finished the whole season, but it just wasn't the same without you occupying more than half the space of the entire sofa, and eating more than your fair share of popcorn. Oh, and that cute guy we met at a party that you said would be perfect for me? Well, he finally asked me out the other day. We had dinner in this cozy little bistro down 3rd Avenue. 

Everything seemed perfect. It was a balmy summer night. There were pretty fairy lights strewn all over the place. The food was absolutely to die for. It's too bad there won't be a second, third or a fourth date. Why? Because when he smiled at me, it was your boyish grin and the glint of barely concealed mischief in your eyes that I saw. When he tried to make me laugh, it was your voice trying to sell your annoyingly corny jokes I heard. When he tried to hold my hand, it was the warmth of yours that I wanted to feel. When he tried to embrace me, it was the comfort of your bearhugs that I longed for. And when he finally tried to kiss me, I couldn't find it in myself to let him. I took a step back, and told myself to walk away. Guess what? I was able to do it the way I never could with you. I turned around, and didn't look back. Why? Because he wasn't YOU. He will never be you. And that's what I'm afraid of. That every guy who comes into my life would never measure up to you. That not one of the gazillion frogs I'd get to kiss in this lifetime would magically transform into you. That no man could ever have the patience and the ability to steal my heart from your grasp, and treat it the way it should be treated--in a way that I know you never would. I'm terrified. I really am, but there's nothing I can do just yet but hope. Maybe you'll wake up one day and see me not as your friend, but as a woman deserving of your love; or maybe I'll finally have the strength to truly let you go, and begin the search for my own happy ending.

WHAT SHE SAID INSTEAD: Hey, Stranger! It's so good to hear from you. I've missed you too. Don't worry. I won't bail on you. We'll go ring shopping today so you can finally get down on your knee and ask her The Question. See you in a bit!

HIM: Thanks! I love you so much. What did I ever do to deserve a best buddy like you?