Raw

When I was a little girl I thought love was candy hearts pushed across classroom desks, gentle kisses and letters carved into ancient trees- "S+D forever." I thought it was shy glances over held hands, sweet and silent gestures...

I was wrong.

Love is pain. To love -to really love- you must lay bare the parts of yourself that have been oh-so-carefully hidden, knowing the vulnerability will leave scars.

I cannot assure you that the pain will be worth it. Some love is not meant to be.

At the end of the day, though, I would take a shattered heart over the absence of one, for to love is to be unapologetically human. To take life by the throat and press honey-sweet kisses across its starry nights, to risk everything for the opportunity to be exceptional for a single moment... Because, darling, that's what love is. A chance to be exceptional.