She is not just the love of my life. That's too small of a definition for her. She is the love from all of my past lives I have never found. She is the love of all my future lives I am yet to meet. She is not just the present. She is the past I am still living, she is the future I get to experience today.

She is a combination. The most beautiful combination of everyone I ever loved, but never knew I did. When she cracks a joke and no one laughs, I see my sister's grin on her lips. When she trips over her own feet and thinks no one saw it, I see my brother falling off his bike and rolling down the street when we were six years old. When she cries on my shoulder, I see my first lover and the day he said goodbye. When she lays down by my side and talks about the stars, I see my grandfather smiling down on us.

The first time she held my hand, I felt the piece of my heart I've been looking for so long suddenly whispering in my ear. From the second time on, I started feeling things I don't know how to feel. I never learned about love before her. I never learned how to act, what to say or how to touch things when all I wanted to do was to hold them.

I wrote down "gratitude" on a piece of paper, tied to a balloon and opened my hand. Slowly, it started climbing its way to the sky. I thought of her and how a small word defines my whole existence.

When I was 12 years old, I built a fort out of my books. It was the only place I felt safe. I thought that the words written would protect my mind from the chaos of the world. I thought they would keep me safe from the wickedness of the people.

When I turned 22 and met her, I realized my fort was actually made out of flesh and blood. Every day since that night I told her I loved her for the first time - way after my heart was already hers - I thought I could never love more than that. But then she would look at me and wink, and the corner of her lips would turn from so pretty to so kissable.

I was born with a heart labeled "there is a limit," but now I love her so much I don't even know how much my heart can love anymore.