i know it's really hard to put up with me sometimes, even though you hate it when i say that, because you never saw loving me as a chore. you express yourself not out of responsibility or obligation, but because you choose to stay. that's how you love. you're someone who never gets tired of showing up, even on the hard days. someone who always makes me feel loved, even when we're not the best versions of ourselves. your love never made me feel small. your love seeps through the cracks of my soul and blooms in places i once thought would never feel love again. i often worry that you'll get tired of me, the way i constantly ask if you ever find me annoying for the reactions i make, coming from not being used to this kind of kindness. i'm not used to being treated with such importance and care. i always thought it was unloving to ask people to be patient with me, but you assure me it's not. you love me with patience, the kind whose gentleness never fades, like it's making a soft cushion out of the moss on old pavements as you wait. you are an expert in loving me.