I inhaled as I faced him, allowing myself to gather the thoughts that seemed so distant to me now. My hands danced, like a sequence that had no end, the tremors constant, a reminder of how nervous I truly was. But it was now or never.

‘Josh.’ I exhaled,

‘I like you. I’ve been about you since I met you. For the longest time, I know, it’s always been you. My confession has been limited for so long, as the guilt I felt overwhelmed me. Almost as if I was drowning within it, the sheer force enough to pull me under, further and further away from the truth. You were in a year long relationship, and all I could ever think about was you. She was my friend Josh, and my mind constantly replayed the image of you, the touch and the feel. You.’

‘Yeah, there were other guys, you and I know; I don’t think I ever actually liked them. I just loved the idea of a distraction, I loved the idea of being invested into someone that I knew would no longer haunt me with this feeling, this feeling that I was in the wrong. Yet, now, I know that nobody was ever close to replacing you.’

‘For once, i’m being selfish. Months upon months, I have been trapped, confined to a friendship riddled with toxicity. Their benefit was never in doubt. NEVER. I lost everything; you. I lost myself.’

‘Be that as it may; Josh, look at me now. I realised I was enough. Now, the people that surround me, support me no matter what. They altered their lives for my happiness. That is real friendship. A concept i’ve never known before. Not only that, but they brought me back to you.’

‘You and I both know how much i’ve suffered, fuck, Josh, I didn’t want to come to school. I was scared, I was vulnerable, I was lost. So now, i’ve used every ounce of strength and confidence I have, in order to tell you...’

‘I love you. Okay. I never did stop loving you’