It came out of nowhere. One second I was on top of the world, the next I felt below everyone else. When girls wore skirts, I envied them. When girls could show their shoulders off in the summer sun, I would stare.
Before I knew it, the jealousy made my skin grow worse. I would then be asked questions, like "Is this contagious?", "What's on your arm?", or "Wow I'm so sorry". One second, a conversation would be great. The next second, once I showed a spot on my skin, I would find the person distancing themselves away from me.
Some days it would show on my face. A face I used to love, a face I used to feel confident in. There were days where I would stay in bed, unable to find my feet hit the floor. There were nights where I wouldn't party because I was almost sure I would never find a boy who would accept a condition like this. There were moments where I felt everyone judging me at once...even my friends, my family. There were moments where I couldn't accept myself and I felt the world could never accept me.
But then I found you.
You saw past my condition. You saw my skin and liked me for me. You started to love me because of who I was, and not what I looked like. You laughed at my jokes because I guess I was funny. You made me smile on the days my skin was awful.
You looked at me the way no one has ever looked at me before. You made me feel beautiful, compared to when I looked in the mirror and saw nothing else but my flaws.
Thank you for making me feel beautiful, inside and out. Thank you for making these spots on my skin feel irrelevant. Thank you for making my condition fade when I spend my days with you. With you, there is no condition. With you, there is nothing wrong with me. With you, I am okay.
You have not only made me feel beautiful, but undeniably strong. You have made me feel like I have purpose. You have given me the ability to push myself on the days where I can't stand my skin. However, you make me feel like it's okay to not push myself on the days I can't handle the pressure.
You have made me throw my middle finger to my condition. You have made me love myself.
Above all else, you, undoubtedly, have made me fall head over heels, irrevocably, in love with you. I love you.
