Here is the thing. Liking someone is easy. It's controllable. It doesn't hurt you. You don't have to force it back like a cup of cherry cough syrup. To like another human being is the most transparent of all emotions. To like anything is, in all honesty. It's fragile, but in the best way. Example: I like my lavender nail polish because it's new and complimentary to my skin color. But when it runs out, I will buy another bottle in a different shade and forget all about that lavender polish. I'm not tied down to the lavender, although I am allowed to like lavender and every other shade of purple in existence because like isn't the end all.

Love is completely different and way more complex, and that's why it's scary. Listen; this isn't for those love at first sight types, or for anyone who is already in love. You won already. Congratulations, you get happiness and a lifetime of couples discounts. No, this is for those right at the precipice. Those people who have let it creep up on them. This is for the unprepared. And let me reassure you. No matter how prepared you feel you are, I guarantee that isn't enough. It will never be enough. And you have to be OK with that.

Love is about being OK. You have to be OK with rescheduled lunches, and conflicting families, and the possibility of forever. You have to be OK with sometimes coming up short because you don't know enough. You will realize in one instance that you didn't know that her favorite color was purple because that's what dusk looks like, or that he likes hair chutney, not hair custard because it sounds sophisticated. And in the next instance, you have to correct that, out loud, for them to see you vulnerable because that's what love is. Love means not just spending time together, but spending time apart and being able to continue on with life and not melting 24/7. You also have to be honest about the silliest things. That's all difficult to accomplish.

So, here's what you need to do. You need to breathe. I know it's weird. One day, you're fine just hanging around watching Netflix together. But the gears shift infinitesimally, and all of a sudden you start analyzing every moment with a fine tooth comb. You wonder if they feel the same. Odds are, if they are spending every day with you, they reciprocate with you. So you have to look in the mirror first. Being scared to love someone else isn't about the other person. It's about you. You feel insignificant and confused. Stubborn thoughts of not being good enough plague you every waking moment. But I promise you are enough. And if you're not convinced, hear this.

Unapologetically being yourself is one of the most powerful forms of living. Always remember to be you, and only you. Go forth into this world with energy that challenges the sun. Burn bright and be intense. Wow someone. Be so spectacular that your very presence instills fearful admiration into all those you encounter. Spark this earth into flames. You can never be anything worse than the demons in your own mind, so free yourself of trivial worries and breathe. They love you. I promise you they do.

And if they don't? Don't let it scare you away from ever loving again. As rapper Drake's mama said, "Who the f*** wants to be 70 and alone?" Human interaction is key, but love is essential. When you get broken down or are afraid to act on a feeling, stop. Stop worrying. Stop wondering. Stop stressing. Love is hard but it is also easy. They call it falling in love for a reason. But you have to let yourself go to do so without injury.

So relax. The rest will slip into place.