When I was going through hard times in my romantic life, you were always there for me. I specifically remember experiencing it after the first time one of my exes cheated on me. I could not handle it on my own. The feeling of rejection, of disrespect, of betrayal – I couldn’t let it affect and get through to me, or so I thought. Because eventually, it did. These toxic thoughts got to me, and I started believing them. I started believing that I’m not good enough, that I’m unworthy of love. I fell apart in front of others regularly, getting overly intoxicated and crying hysterically. My friends caught up on the fact that something was wrong pretty quickly, as I wasn’t acting like my true self. They were worried about me and wanted to help. I, stupidly, didn’t share with them what had happened for a while. I was embarrassed, ashamed, and worried they would judge me and my choices, mainly because I chose to stay with him.

Getty images/ DigitalVision/ Klaus Vedfelt

My friends kept on pushing me to tell them what was wrong for a few weeks before I finally caved. I told them everything that happened. Their reaction was as I anticipated; they told me that I shouldn’t stay in this relationship, that I deserve better. The problem was that I didn’t believe that myself. I stayed because I thought he loved me, I thought that I could change him, but they warned me, and they were right. I stuck with him; I left my friends behind to work on fixing our relationship. And how did he repay me? He cheated on me again, just like my friends warned me he would. When I finally left him, I was worried about my friends’ reaction. Would they leave me behind just as I did to them? Would they tell me off for not listening? But it was neither. My friends stuck by my side and were there for me in my time of need. And in the end, that what’s every relationship is all about – being there for someone when they need you. That’s what friends are for.