If I Could Say Something to You, Ryan…

If I could say one thing to you —
just one, without anger, without tears, without the mess between us —
it would be this:

You’re an amazing man.
Don’t change.

Despite everything,
despite how things ended,
despite the heartbreak and confusion,
despite the mistakes — mine and yours —
I still see the goodness in you.

The kindness.
The softness.
The way you look after people without even realising it.
The humour.
The depth you try to hide.
The warmth you pretend you don’t have.

I saw all of it.
And it meant something to me.

You might never understand how much you helped me during one of the darkest, scariest times of my life.
Even when things got messy, even when feelings were complicated, even when everything fell apart —
it doesn’t erase the good.

So if I could speak to you now, without fear or judgement, I’d tell you the truth:

You’re a good man.
A rare one.
A man who cared, even if it was in your own quiet, guarded way.

Please don’t let the world harden you.
Please don’t let pain turn you cold.
Please don’t stop being the man who wrapped me up in blankets when I was shaking, held me when I was sick, listened when he didn’t have to, and made me feel like I mattered — even for a moment.

Whatever happens next for you…

Don’t change who you are.
You are enough.
And you are better than you think.