There’s a famous quote from one of my favorite books, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." It is, “We accept the love we think we deserve.” I’m not sure I ever fully understood the meaning of this quote until I sat down and decided to write to you.

You have tried to tell yourself that there are certain people you don’t need and emotions you don’t have/don’t ever need to feel. You try to tell yourself that you’re only doing yourself more well than harm by putting walls up to keep those people out. You keep telling yourself that you can’t help but push the ones who care away. You keep telling yourself all of this, but you know it’s not true, and I think you may have just learned that the hard way. You have emotions. You have feelings. You can’t just push them to the side before you’re forced to confront them because you’re going to end up hurt, just like you were this time.

You always expect the least from people, understandably so, because I believe that most of us try to have the same mentality. We don’t want to be let down, so we decide that it is better to not get our hopes up at all. When it comes to any sort of relationship, you only expect the other person to put in half the effort that you deserve and because of this, it’s all you’ve learned to accept. You’ve been accepting people into your life who have only caused you more pain than good. You deserve more than to get too attached to a minimal situation; a situation where you have to hold in your emotions. There are guys out there who are willing to give you more than any of the ones who have hurt you before. The one’s that have hurt you, fought with you, or made you cry aren’t actually worth your thoughts, feelings or tears. You don’t deserve to feel this way.

There are also people who are willing to put in the effort you deserve, but you only hold on for a minimal amount of time before you push them away. You need to start accepting better instead of turning your back on it. You need to realize that the guys who care about you are the ones that are doing whatever it is they can to make you happy, not the ones you constantly have to chase after. Choose the guys who don’t argue with you. Choose the guys who make you feel how the other ones did in the best times, but never make you feel as badly as the others did even during the worst times. Listen. One day, you have to let the nice guy win.

You’re one of my good friends and when you feel hurt, it hurts me too. You are too great of a person to be put in these situations. Everyone always believes that their friends deserve better than they let themselves believe, but in this case, it is completely unbiased. You deserve better than you think.

Start accepting the love I know you deserve.