Dear best friend,

I’m not sure why I assume things will end differently every time. I always end up feeling broken. Once friend-zoned always friend-zoned, right? Something about this time was just different, until it wasn’t. It’s not your fault; you thought it was different too. I think deep down we both knew it wouldn’t work. I was just clinging onto the hope that this time I could be with you. I was hoping that maybe I could finally be with a guy who thinks I’m worth something, the world actually, thus ending the stream of jerks. Perhaps you thought that I could help you too. I blinded myself to the fact that it not working was a possibility, and set myself up to take the hit. Trust me, I know that you’re sorry and that you didn’t want to hurt me, but it had to happen. Knowing the truth and being temporarily out of order, is better than believing something that isn’t worth believing. Even so, I’m still going to have to put myself back together. That’s going to require a lot of ice cream, a couple sappy books, and a shopping trip, but I’ll get there. I may not talk to you for a couple days. Please don’t take offense to it. I just need some time to work things out in my head and be ok again. You’re still my best friend. You always will be. I don’t want to lose you, and I’m pretty sure you don’t want to lose me either. So let me mourn this most recent failed romantic endeavor, and then we can go back to what we were before I ever mentioned taking our relationship up a notch.

I love you,