Dear best friend,

Every day, it gets easier to accept that you actually enjoy my company.

You probably laugh, but you don’t know how hard it is for me to understand what others see in me. It sounds self-deprecating, but it’s less of a negative viewpoint than a neutral assumption that I am not particularly entertaining to be around. I feel out of place in most social situations, I feel hopelessly awkward, and therefore I don’t say much and I don’t try to draw attention to myself.

Secretly, I long for closeness, meaning, and deep conversations. I want a best friend, but I don’t know how to make the jump from “stranger who seems nice” to “meaningful relationship”.

So it always surprises me when someone offers to make the jump with me.

I remember when I first met you. I saw all kinds of amazing things in you. I already felt happy in your presence. I wanted to know you and hear all of your ideas and secrets. I wanted to be a part of your life.

I would never have imagined that you looked at me the same way. To this day, I stand in amazement that someone looked at me and thought, “They seem interesting. I really want to be their friend.”

Best friend, you mean a lot to me. I’ve had people spend some time in my life and then leave, for one reason or another. I’ve met very few people who’ve had the patience and desire to get to know me deeply.

You are one of a very small group, and odds are you know a different side of me than the others. We have a unique connection. You are irreplaceable, and now I could not imagine a life without you in it.

Best friend, know that I will always be there for you. Know that I will always enjoy spending time with you, and don’t ever think that you annoy me or are too much of a bother. Know that you can trust me with your secrets and they will never leave my lips if you ask me. Know that I have a genuine interest in your life and that I love to hear you talk about things that excite you.

Best friend, the point I am trying to make is that you are a huge part of my life. You are important to me. I have opened up to you and shown you a side of me that most people don’t get to see. I’ve told you things that scare me, things that inspire me, and things that I want to change. I have entrusted you with my ideas and secrets. I want you to understand that I don’t entrust just anybody with these things.

Best friend, I love you, and I hope that you have a better understanding of what that means now.