Echoes of an Old Conversation

As I sat there rereading our old conversations, a haunting question began to echo in my mind, "Was I ever truly worth the risk, or was I just a risk he wasn't willing to take?", It finally dawned on me that the people who warned me were right, I was never the one he envisioned a future with, I was just a "backburner" girl., I was someone he wanted to see for temporary comfort, but never the person he felt deserved his genuine, unconditional love. That realization hit me with the force of a physical blow, stripping away my illusions and forcing me to see the raw truth., It has encouraged me to raise my standards to heights I should have never lowered in the first place., I’ve learned that I don't need a partner who is defined by his looks, his IQ, or his academic accolades., Instead, I need someone with the emotional maturity to handle my mood swings and the patience to stay by my side even when I am at my most difficult. I am looking for someone who treats me like a priority, a "princess" in his eyes, and who offers his gentleness and love freely, without me ever having to beg for it., I am done being selfless to my own detriment., I refuse to ever again spend my time chatting with someone who makes me feel like a nuisance or a disturbance., I would much rather wait in solitude for as long as it takes than settle for what this generation calls "love"., Finding a guy is easy, but finding a man with a gentle soul and a genuine heart is rare, and I refuse to settle for anything less.