Whether or not your current relationship ends up being your last, dating an independent girl will no doubt be the adventure of your lifetime. It’ll be everything you hoped it could be and more. You’ll have your ups and downs, you’ll have your crazy, unexpected loops and you’ll have the steady rides that you wish will never come to an end. She’ll exceed your expectations and keep you wondering what will happen next, but even she doesn’t know. However, that’s the best part about loving this type of girl — you might think you know her next step, but you don’t. She’s the farthest from boring, and just when you get comfortable she’ll confuse you in all of the best ways. It isn’t hard to love her, but there are a few things that you should know:

1. She is bold, but sensitive.

She might come off as put together, but on the inside her mind is endlessly racing. She’s confident in herself, but not in how others perceive her. Even though she knows it doesn’t matter what others think, she can’t help but want everyone to like her. She doesn’t like to cry, but when she does, she just wants you to be there and listen. Don’t feel like you have to fix everything for her — she has that part under control. Just be the boy she chose to love and let in and you’ll be everything that she needs.

2. She knows what she deserves.

Don’t think this girl is the type to let things slide. She knows what kind of love she deserves, and expects the same type of respect from you. She’ll call you out when your actions earn it, and tell you exactly what she needs. That’s one great thing about an independent girl is that you’ll never be left wondering what’s wrong. She’s not passive aggressive, and will tell you upfront what she wants from you. She expects complete honestly, and will never lie to you. In her eyes, you’re equals and she’ll give you everything that you give her.

3. She will give you her all.

If you’re fortunate enough to catch her, know that she loves you with everything that she has. She needs her alone time, but time with you is what she looks forward to the most. It’s true that adventures are something she craves, but rainy days spent on the couch with you are her favorite. She’ll give you her all, and will refuse to give up when times gets hard — and they will get hard. It’s never going to be completely easy when you love an independent girl. But she’s worth it all, of that you can be sure.

4. She is annoyingly stubborn.

I hate to tell you this, but being stubborn kind of comes along with the whole independent thing. While she’s witty, outgoing and quick to speak her mind, above all else she is stubborn. While she’s open to other people’s opinions, she’ll stand by her own until she’s given a profound reason on why she should change her mind. If you happen to have a disagreement, expect that she’ll fight you for that last word. If you want the conversation to end, I suggest you swallow your own pride and give her the last word no matter how much you hate it. And finally, if you’ve messed up and need to apologize, make sure it’s sincere the first time around. She won’t accept a careless apology, because she’d never give you one back.

5. She will be the love of your life.

Somewhere down the road, you might find that a more effortless relationship is what you want. You might think that a girl that lets you give her 90 percent instead of 100 percent is what you need. You may believe that a girl that listens more than she speaks, or a girl that doesn’t call you out when you deserve it is what you’re ready for. And maybe it is. But she’ll never be the one that you can hold a good conversation with. She’ll never be the one singing at the top of her lungs from the shotgun seat of your car. She’ll never be the one you have worthless fights with only to find that you love her more than you ever thought you could by the end of the night. The independent girl will always be the one you’ll never forget. And if you’re lucky enough to have her, just know that that love is the one thing people wait their entire lives for.

There are ups and downs to every relationship, but this type of girl is the one that you should do your best to hold on to. Just like you, she is not perfect. She has her flaws and will do things that she's not proud of. But one thing is for sure, she'll be everything you never knew you needed and everything that you could ever want.