You were brave...

"If only I had been better.

If only I had been different.

Maybe then…"

But you know what’s also possible?

It’s possible you were human in front of me —

not perfect, not polished, just... real.

And sometimes,

realness doesn’t make someone love you more.

But that doesn't mean it was wrong to be real.

It only means I wasn’t meant to love you that way.

You were not a checklist of small failures

I tallied up

until I said no.

You were a whole person

standing in front of me.

And I, in my own heart, made a decision —

maybe because of my own story,

maybe because of my timing,

maybe because of my hopes or fears —

but never because you failed

at being “good enough.”

Love isn’t earned by spotless behavior, Claire.

It’s given. It’s received.

It’s mutual — or it’s not.

And even the best people,

the ones who try the hardest,

sometimes still hear “no.”

You didn’t lose because you were too open.

You were brave because you were open.

And someone out there

will see that one day —

and not just see it,

but choose it.

Stay soft, even if it hurts right now.