Now don't freak out... but I love you

It doesn't mean I want to take you away and lock you in a tower. It doesn't mean I want or expect anything from you. It doesn't mean I'm waiting for you to turn into a 'one twue romance, be my always-snookumpie'. It doesn't mean I'm hoping our existing relationship (whatever form that takes when they are so varied and multiple I'm not even going to try untwisting them all into words) will change.

Lately in me, love is kind of like a constellation of Jelly Belly Jelly Beans. My love for two people never feels exactly the same. Some people are a combination of cinnamon and buttered popcorn that zings down my spine whenever I see them. Others are vanilla that coats the back of my throat and lingers as a happy reminder that they're in my life and I'm so very blessed.

Love is elastic; it stretches to reach even the furthest star in my universe of happy. Because even though there are stars I don't see as often as I would hope, I don't love them any less for their distance.

I love you doesn't mean anything more than I wanted you to know that I love you. I wanted you to know you're a part of the warmth in me. You're one of the reasons why I smile and I value both that, and you, more than words can say.