To the Girl Who Holds His Heart After Me,

You're lucky, because he's picky. If he chose you, he sees something in you.

He likes carefree, simplistic, easy. The kind of thing you don't have to force, but the kind of thing that just is. You'll learn to love it, even if it annoys you now.

He's quiet. He'll hold things in and swear that nothing is wrong. He'll get "mad" when you try to force it out of him. Honey, he's not mad. Just stubborn. He'll tell you eventually.

He's prideful. In some ways, his pride won't let him admit that it's time to take a breath. It won't let him ever (ever!) stop working, even for a day. It won't let him admit that he has demons because, yeah, he does. You have to figure these things out on your own. Once you do, it's a whole other thing to get him to open up.

He doesn't realize how great he is. He'll question all the time how he got a girl like you. Remind him that you're there because you chose to be.

The dogs will come before you.

His friends are his family.

It's not that he doesn't want to see you, it's just that he works constantly. (Yes, seriously.) Your time will be few and far between. Cherish the little moments and move on.

He likes to sleep next to someone, even if he won't admit it. And cherish those nights, even if he snores.

Be careful before you tell him your demons. Hold off on being dark and twisty, and for all that is good, hold off on using the L word. He's going to panic, he might just run, and you won't know what to do when or if that happens.

If it does, don't pester. Let him go. He'll come back, apologetic and hardly weary. He just needs a moment. Whether you decide to forgive him is up to you. I wouldn't be writing this if I didn't make the choice to forgive him.

I always forgave him. Every time. Whether you decide to follow that is up to you.

Be careful with him. You never know what you're getting into until it's too late. He has good intentions and an even better heart, but it takes the right person to see it.