"A Breathtaking Process"

Love is a process.

It is a beautiful one, but a process nonetheless.

It takes time and energy.

It takes dedication and patience.

It takes loyalty and honesty,

And love occurs in three stages.

The first stage is love with words.

It starts with the way they say your name

And how it sounds like they are meant to be yours.

It starts with the words

Showing you are the only one they’ll ever want.

It starts with the stories

Of their life and everything important to them.

The first stage is loving their mind.

The second stage is love with actions.

It starts with the smile they flash

Each time you walk in the room.

It starts with the way they brag on you

To everyone they care about.

It starts with the beautiful trust

You develop with each other.

It starts with their concern

Only for your safety and well-being.

The second stage is loving their heart.

The third stage is the deepest of them all.

It starts with how they tell you everything

when they know they don’t have to.

It starts with their heartbeat

And how it syncs up with yours.

It starts with caring about all of their life decisions

And all the reasons behind those choices.

It starts with the way their eyes

Hold every part of your future in them.

It starts with how you know that

You would do anything for them, as they would for you.

The third stage is loving their soul.

Love is only real once you hit the third stage.

Love is deep within your bones.

Love is debilitating, yet beautiful

As another holds your heart,

They hold the power to shatter it

Or keep it forever while handing you theirs.

Love takes time, but it’s worth

Every fight,

Every mistake,

Every lesson learned.

Love is knowing that someone will always catch you

In the best and the worst of times.