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Three months in love, keeping his distance. We were sitting in the kitchen past midnight. He talked about her — the way she looks, how he thinks about her all the time, how he wakes up with her on his mind. I couldn’t hold it in: “Why don’t you get closer? She clearly likes you.” He paused. Looked into his cup. Then quietly said: “When I really like someone — I’m afraid to scare her away.” I didn’t get it right away. Scare her away? She’s not a bird. Then he explained. There are women you just want to be near. Not take. Not get. Just… let her be there. With someone like that, a man slows down. Because he doesn’t want to mess it up with one wrong move. When a man rushes — he doesn’t value it. The one who rushes isn’t afraid to lose. He cares about the moment, not the person. But when he does care — he waits. Watches. Remembers the way she laughs. He’s afraid one wrong step will make her close off, and everything will disappear. “I didn’t want her to feel just wanted,” he said. “I wanted her to feel important.” I didn’t catch the difference at first. Then it hit me. And it’s huge. Anyone can feel wanted. That’s about the moment, the impulse, the body. It fades. Feeling important — that’s rare. That’s when someone is willing to wait. Not rush you. Not pressure you. Just be there and not break something that’s only starting to grow. When a man holds back, it doesn’t mean he’s cold. It means for the first time in a long while, he met someone he doesn’t want to lose. His hands don’t rush when his heart is already taken. They’ve been together for two years now. I once asked her, “How did you know he was serious?” She smiled: “He didn’t rush. Everyone else did.” That’s the whole answer. #friend