While we always want to keep our loved ones close to us, life has a strange way of tossing them across the seven oceans. Distance is scary and those who say long-distance relationships are tough, haven’t even tried long-distance friendships.

You start feeling lonely in a city where you’ve spent your entire life right when your best friend leaves. From the nights of debauchery to the birthdays, everything seems incomplete because life as you know it changes. It’s only with time that you realize that distance can’t hurt a bond so strong, but that doesn’t change the fact that there’s a void.

So, here’s what I’d want my best friend to know:

The places we visited together don’t feel the same anymore. As glad as I was that you’re finally out there to chase your dreams, the distance scared me. It made me wonder if things would be the same with us now that we’re geographically so far apart. I hate that our lives run parallel now, they don’t intersect. There are new people, new things and it hurts that you’re not physically here with me.

You’ve always been very important to me but the distance made me insecure about losing you. Then started the dreadful social media updates. I wasn’t too comfortable with the idea of sharing you in the beginning, but now I’m glad that you’ve found some comfort in your new city.

I’m absolutely upset that you’re not here by my side the way you used to be. More than that, I hate that you’re not here to accompany me in spending my first salary or to listen to me cribbing about my boss. 

Don’t even get me started about my night outs which have been quite uninteresting and may I say, incomplete without you. The person who is usually more excited than me on my birthday won’t be here and even the idea seems strange.

Only you can deal with my quarter-life crisis. From love to food choices, I’m glad I have you to make bad life choices with. Oh! And the weird time gap. I’m sorry for waking you up at that odd hour of deep sleep just to ask you if I should choose expensive footwear over my kidney this month.

I hate that we don’t have a single new photograph together to post. My snap stories have just not been interesting without your shenanigans. And stalking people and checking out funny posts on Facebook is completely boring now that we’re not doing it together. 

However, checking out a meme you tagged me in, the context of which only both of us understand, comes as a warm surprise.

With all the cons given and accepted, I’m extremely proud of you for doing what you’ve always wanted to do. You’re one step closer to realizing your dreams and I can hear the enthusiasm in your voice every time you call. I’m glad you still make me your pillar of strength on the days you need motivation. I can’t wait to visit you in your new city. You’ve given me the opportunity to step out of my little bubble and enter yours.