the little stories

the reasons i love you

"i don't feel like i'm lovable."

he sits across from you. the firepit lights up the space around you two. he looks confused. "what?" he asks.

"i don't feel like i'm lovable. there's very few things about me i feel like someone would actually love about me."

he stands up and walks inside. you stare at the door. you cover your face with your hands. you didn't mean to upset him. it was something you genuinely believed. you didn't like admitting it. you didn't want him thinking you were seeking for attention.

it was just the truth.

a half hour passes. you get upset. he was being over dramatic. he shouldn't have gotten mad about your insecurities. you stand up to go inside.

"where are you going?" he appears. you look at him. you tell him you were done sitting outside alone. alone because he was mad.

he laughs. "baby, i'm not mad. sit back down," he sits back across from you and holds a paper. you sit down.

he hands the paper to you. "read that," he points.

you look down at the paper. across the top was written "the reasons i love you"

you look at him. he smiles. "i was working on that inside. i want you to know the reasons i love you. what i love about you."

you look down at the paper. you begin to read.

"you pick at your nails all time damn time. it gives me an excuse to hold your hands to make you stop."
"you constantly need to mess with something. i like when it's my hair."
"you switch your languages randomly. it's interesting to me."
"your handwriting. it's aesthetically pleasing."
"you smile with no teeth. it's a cute look on you. but i like when you smile with teeth. you're beautiful."
"you have so much faith in yourself. you believe. you're persistent for what you want."
"you play with your rings when you're stressed. it's cute."
"you sing all the time. it makes me happy that you're comfortable around me to be able to do that"
"you stick your tongue out when you're focused. that might be my favorite thing about you."
"you pinch your lips a lot. i also like to kiss them."
"you daydream often. i like to wonder what you're thinking about."
"your specific pillowcase. it's cute to see you look for it at night."
"you sleeping with a pillow at your feet. it gets in the way for me to hold you, but you can't sleep without it, so i don't mind."
"your obsession with strawberries and cheese. i don't get it. but i like seeing you happy."
"you have tons of books lying around the house. majority of them unread. i like picking them up to see where you're at."
"you have the biggest heart. you care for me so well. i couldn't live without you."
"your love for me. i never thought i would be able to experience a love like ours. and i'm so glad i get to have it for the rest of my life."

you look up at him with tears in your eyes. he stands up and crouches in front of you. he sets his hands on your knees.

"you are loved," he holds your hands. "even the things you don't believe are worth loving are the things i see the most in you," he sits next to you and hugs you tight.

"i love you. you are lovable. always remember that."