When I first saw you, you were just another pretty face in the crowd, another student, another stranger. But one night that all changed.

Suddenly I saw you in a new light. You moved from stranger to friend in the blink of an eye. You captured my attention.

Weeks went by and our friendship grew. You never knew my feelings for you, but what could I do? Several relationships passed by as I watched you love and get hurt, wishing I could ease the pain.

I played the "just friends" part well, almost too well. I wish I had had the courage to tell you how I felt; but I remained silent. I was afraid of your rejection.

Finally things changed in my favor. You started to take an interest in me, and my heart jumped for joy. We spent time together and my feelings for you grew in leaps and bounds.

You were my first kiss, and to this very day, you still don't know. We weren't together, but everyone looking at us from the outside wouldn’t know the difference. You were my Romeo and I was your Juliet.

It was perfect for a while, but then life hit us like a ton of bricks. Suddenly everything fell apart and I was pulled into the swift undertow. I was losing you . . .

I did everything I could to salvage the pieces, but there were too many and I couldn't do it on my own. You said you were leaving me and my heart shattered. I tried to hold it in, tried to play it off as insignificant, but you saw through my facade.

You said I was strong, but  in that moment I felt so weak. You said you were "just a guy" but my heart protested the thought. You meant the world to me, but you didn't believe it.

You couldn't see the tears coursing down my cheeks. Couldn’t feel the pain tearing through my heart, or hear the unspoken words in my mind, "I think I'm falling in love with you".