things are different now

ph: Shannon Crosby

Things are different now. No other eyes are as captivating. No other smile is as contagious.
No one else’s words are as reassuring. No other arms are as comforting. I don’t long to hear any other voice on the other side of the phone. I don’t get butterflies at the thought of anyone else. Things are different now. When another walks by, I no longer give a second look. It’s like no one else exists; no one but you. They say that “love is blind;” and if anything, I’m only blind to everyone else. No one can measure up to you. They always fall short. Things are different now. Seeing through the eyes of love is like seeing under a microscope. I see things in you that I could never see in others, with my old eyes naked of love. Each little quirk, story, and moment with you are like the cells that make you who you are to me. The more I know you, discover things about you, the deeper I fall, captivated by the simplistic nature of who you are. It’s as though I’ve discovered something for the very first time, and now that I know of its existence I can’t imagine a world without. Things are different now. As I learn about you, I am also learning about myself. I’ve never felt like I quite belonged in this world until now. Until I had someone to walk beside me, encourage me, dream with me. Things are different now. I smile at the thought of you. I cry at the thought of being away from you. I fear, always have and always will, but with you it’s a different fear. It isn’t so much a fear of you causing harm, but a fear of losing you to the unknown. Things are different now. I let my guard down. Give you a straight shot to my heart and all that I am. I trust you. Something that is not easy for me to do. Things are different now. I love this difference: the joy, the anxiousness, and the longing. I hate this difference: the unknown, the risks, and the doubt. Things are different now. Please, be careful. I never thought this would happen. I had given up hope. But here you are…my hope in love, in true happiness, in the future. Things are different now. Thank you.