Before I Saw You, I Heard You—And I Loved You

I’ve always been full of love. Even as a child, it poured out of me too much for the world to understand. I felt everything too deeply, cared too quickly, and gave too freely. I didn’t know how to hold it in. Love was something that flowed from me like an endless river—wild, untamed, uncontrollable. The world around me seemed to be terrified of how much I had to give. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand the world, or that I was unaware of its complexities. But love—true, unguarded love—was all I ever wanted to give. And for a long time, it felt like the world just wasn’t ready for that kind of love.

As a teenager, I tried to make sense of it. I tried to ration my love, to manage it in a way that wouldn’t make me seem too much, too eager, too overwhelming. But the more I tried, the more I realized that love like mine doesn’t stop. It doesn’t hold back. It spills over, it stretches and grows in places I never thought it could. No matter how many times I told myself to stop, love just didn’t listen. It swelled within me, ready to pour itself into something, or someone, when the time was right.

I thought for a long time that I would be alone. That maybe, this kind of love wasn’t meant for me, or maybe it wasn’t meant for anyone. But I was wrong. The universe had a plan.

And then, I met you.

When I met you, I didn’t immediately know you were the one. But there was something about you—something that drew me in from the very first moment. It was the sound of your voice. I know that might sound strange, but bear with me. Before I even saw your face or knew anything about you, I was already falling for you. Your voice—there was a warmth to it, a comfort that soothed something deep inside of me. A peace I hadn’t even realized I was searching for. I hadn’t even seen you, but somehow, I knew. It was love at first sound, if that’s even a thing. Maybe it doesn’t make sense, but it was real. I didn’t need to see your face or know the shape of your smile. Your voice alone was enough to make my heart flutter.

When I finally did see you, it was as if everything fell into place. All those feelings that had been building up for years finally made sense. You were a person who could hold my love—not only because you wanted to, but because you understood it. You embraced it. I didn’t have to hide parts of myself or hold back. I could just love you freely, without hesitation, without fear.

But what amazed me the most about you wasn’t just the way you loved me. It was the way you loved yourself, and the patience you had not only for me but for the world around you. You gave me a space to be my rawest, truest self. You loved me in a way that made me want to be better, not just for you, but for myself too. I could feel the goodness in you, and it mirrored everything I had ever hoped to find in a partner. Your patience, your kindness, your understanding—it was like finding a rare treasure. I never understood how a person could love like this before.

There’s a kind of love that heals, and you taught me that. I used to believe that love was something you gave away, and that it might eventually leave you empty. But you proved me wrong. You showed me that love could be a source of healing, that it could fill you up instead of draining you. You didn’t just love me in the easy moments, you loved me in the moments when I didn’t even know how to love myself. You took those broken parts of me—parts I didn’t even realize were broken—and you slowly, gently, put them back together. You healed wounds I had long since forgotten about.

I remember thinking that I’d never find someone who would truly see me—the whole of me. And yet, here you are, seeing me in ways I never imagined possible. Every day, I discover new things about you, things I didn’t even know I needed to know. You are a mystery I’m forever eager to explore. And somehow, with every passing day, I fall deeper into you. You’ve become my home, my safe space, the one place where I can be fully, unapologetically myself. And in you, I’ve found a love that feels like it was meant to be.

I’ve never loved anyone this deeply before. Never with this kind of ferocity, this kind of intensity. But what makes it even more incredible is that I know, somehow, you love me in the same way. Your love is fierce and unwavering, and it wraps itself around me like a protective embrace. I still can’t quite understand it. How did I get so lucky? To find someone who loves so deeply, so completely? How did I get so lucky to find you?

And yet, as much as we love each other, we are not perfect. We fight. We argue. We get frustrated with each other. But in those moments of conflict, when the air feels thick with tension, I find myself falling even deeper in love with you. Not because we argue, but because I know that even after the fight, we will find our way back to each other. We will hold each other again, and the love will remain. That’s the beauty of what we share—it’s not about being perfect. It’s about standing by each other through the good, the bad, and everything in between.

I want you to know something, something I hope you carry with you always: your pain is never a burden to me. Your struggles, your fears, the weight you carry in silence—they are not yours alone. They are mine too. I will carry them with you, and when you feel too heavy, I’ll help lighten the load. When you feel broken, I will be the one to pick up the pieces. You never have to face the darkness alone.

There’s a part of me that wants to hold onto every moment, to freeze time and keep you right here beside me, forever. But I also know that time moves forward, and with each passing moment, I’ll continue to fall deeper into you. And that’s what I want—more of you. All of you. With each new day, I’ll love you even more.

I love you for your kindness. I love you for your strength. I love you for your tenderness and the way you hold my heart in your hands. I love you for the way you make me feel like I’m the only person who matters in the world. I love you for the way you listen, for the way you care. I love you for the person you are, and for the person you help me become every day.

And if I could, I would write a thousand letters to you, a thousand poems, a thousand songs—because words will never be enough to express what’s in my heart. But I will try. I will keep trying because you deserve every piece of love I have to give.

So here it is: my heart, in all its messy, overflowing glory. For you. Always.
NKEM