It’s okay to be afraid.
God, I wish someone had said that to me sooner.
That fear doesn’t mean you’re weak.
That shaking hands can still hold love.
That it’s not about feeling ready, it’s about choosing someone anyway.

I know you’re scared.
Of not being enough.
Of hurting the people you love.
Of choosing wrong.
Of losing what you’ve barely begun to hold.

But I also know this:
You’ve never stopped loving.
Even when you’ve been quiet.
Even when it’s heavy.
Even when everything in you screams “protect yourself.”

You still show up.
You still care.
You still carry more than you admit out loud.

That’s not weakness.
That’s strength.
And I hope you see that one day, clearly, like the sun hitting your skin after a long winter.

I hope you overcome the fear, not because it disappears, but because you learn that you’re stronger than it.
That you can feel afraid and still live, still love, still choose.

Because love isn’t just a feeling.
It’s not butterflies or late-night kisses or staying together forever.
Love is a choice.
One you make again and again.
Even when it’s scary.
Even when you’re tired.
Even when the future is blurry and your heart is uncertain.

I made that choice.
For you.
Even now.
Even like this.
Even when we’re not where we used to be.

I chose you, not because I expected something in return, but because loving you is not about being chosen back.
It’s about standing in the truth of what I feel and saying:
“I’m still here.”

You don’t have to be fearless to be loved.
You don’t have to be perfect to be worthy.
You don’t have to have it all figured out for someone to stay.

I will stay.
Not to wait for anything.
But because this love was a decision, not a transaction.
Not a gamble.
Not a test.

A promise.
Soft, steady, open-handed.

Whenever you’re ready to believe in something again,
I’ll be here.
Not to save you.
But to remind you that love can exist quietly, patiently, without pressure, even in the dark.

—Xinlin