What Love Leaves Behind

At some point in life, all of us wonder what true love feels like.

Whether it exists. Whether it’s real.

And whether we’ll be lucky enough to find someone to share it with.

You imagine what it would be like. You dream with wide eyes and an open heart, building castles out of unrealistic expectations and painting pictures with beautiful, impossible colors.

Then one day, someone walks into your life -

And something about them feels familiar. Like they stepped out of your daydreams.

They smile, and your heart tugs. They see the goodness in you even when you don’t.

They like you for who you are.

They stand by you, even when you’re not at your best.

They accept you, flaws and all, and gently nudge you toward who you could be.

And just like that, you begin to love them.

Slowly. Quietly. Steadily.

You don’t even realize it at first. But one day, the truth hits you like a speeding train -

You’re in love.

And the world, somehow, feels lighter. Colors seem brighter.

Even ordinary things hold a quiet magic.

You’re no longer walking through life alone - you’re dreaming together, building a future in tandem.

It feels like forever.

You share your secrets, your hopes, your silly thoughts at midnight.

They become your home - your safest place to land.

And then, time passes.

Love, once a whirlwind, settles into a rhythm. Into comfort. Into routine.

You begin to have disagreements.

Small ones at first, then larger ones.

Differences surface, and sometimes they sting.

But you’re best friends, and after every storm, the sun returns.

You fall in love a little deeper after every reconciliation.

Love matures with the struggles.

You think: This is what it means to grow together.

But then one day, something shifts.

The differences that once seemed beautiful become unbearable to one of you.

The cracks widen.

And the foundation you built so carefully begins to shake.

That’s when you start to wonder…

Why are we so drawn to the very things that can shatter us?

Why does the rose, so exquisite, so fragrant - hide thorns sharper than we imagined, and yet we reach for it anyway, ignoring the daisies that would never make us bleed?

Why is it that everything that allures us comes at a cost?

The cost of aching silence. Of sleepless nights.

Of pain that feels like it’s folding your chest inwards,

pressing against your ribs until you forget how to breathe.

Why do love and pain live in the same house?

Two sides of the same coin - one comforting, one cutting.

Why must every heartbeat that once echoed with joy

begin to echo with questions?

And in those moments of silence - after the fights, after the tears - you look up and ask the questions no one can truly answer.

Why doesn’t love come with guarantees?

Why does God make the most beautiful choices the hardest ones to live with?

Maybe it’s because love was never meant to be easy.

It was never about perfection or certainty.

It was always about vulnerability.

About choosing someone again and again, even when it hurts.

Even when the answers don’t come.

And maybe, even if it ends, even if your paths diverge -

Love still leaves behind something.

A memory. A lesson.

Proof that you dared to feel deeply.

Proof that you lived.