username; SilhouetteStation
name; Annie
gender; Female
prompt;
Annie knows love isn't all about glitz and glamor. It's not a whirlwind destined to sweep you off your feet and land you in a fairytale.
Love takes effort, and love takes time, which is something she's learnt over many years.
It didn't start as love. For a long time, if anything, it was almost dislike. Like strangers on the same ship, passing by without a second glance. As though they were never destined to meet, to stare into those eyes, and find a kindred soul staring back.
Here it starts; midnight conversations and realizations that they are one in the same. Discovering a mind, full of intrigue and wonder, thinking maybe…
A cautious flicker of hope; butterflies in her stomach, dormant until now, suddenly awaking and longing to be set free.
The idea that maybe, just maybe, this could be someone she could love.
From there things move along. Offering tentative smiles and soft, encouraging words. Finding small things to marvel at; the way letters curve when writing, the tenderness with a beloved pet, the way sunlight makes eyes sparkle.
People begin to notice a change. They tell her she looks different; glowing, almost. Perhaps even a bit smitten, although they're not sure with who. She taps the side of her nose; that's her business.
Passion begins to bloom.
It is not the scripted desire you see on TV, or the online quotes that make romantic hearts swoon; rather, it's delicate, accepting; a mutual affection growing into something more.
This kind of love is messy; sometimes easy, sometimes hard, but undeniably brilliant.
It's seeing messy hair and untouched faces, and thinking you've never seen someone more beautiful. Silly fights turning to late nights, to forgiveness by morning. Seeing a reflection in the mirror and giving them a little wink, a little hip wiggle as you walk out the door, and hearing laughter echo in the hallway.
This kind of love is not what people typically think of. It's one often passed over in thought, tucked away, left to gather dust and become forgotten. Some people don't realize they need it until it's too late; when things start to crumble, and try as they might, they just can't remember where they left it. Nowadays, Annie is the kind of girl to help them find it again.
It took a long time, but she can finally say she loves herself.
There is nothing more powerful than seeing your own imperfections in the mirror, and loving them anyway. Of making mistakes, and forgiving yourself. Encouraging yourself to try again; to give yourself the best, because you know you deserve it.
There is confidence in loving yourself; you change for the better, and people begin to notice that. Even begin to feel it themselves.
It takes time, and it takes effort, but Annie now knows that if you truly believe in yourself, nothing can ever bring you down.
Self love is, and always will be, the most important kind of love.
(498/500)