Once upon a time, I was head over heels in love with a boy, and couldn’t understand why he didn’t match my energy. Though he told me he liked me, I didn’t feel it. Every day, I will long to hear from him and every night I longed to be in his arms.

I told my friends about him. I wrote poems about him and I even prayed for him. I kept waiting for my feelings to be reciprocated but they weren’t. I thought the universe was punishing me for doing the same thing to other boys in the past. I thought I couldn’t get over him. I thought the feeling was going to last forever.

It’s been a few years now and I barely think of him. I get nauseated when I remember how weak he made me feel. I’m no longer mad at him, instead, I’m thankful for him because he showed me that I was capable of feeling heightened emotions and loving somebody.

A work of fiction by Mariam Shittu