He wasn't what I expected. What anyone expected. He was ignorant of others, yet aware of them. He was known as brusque, but secretly kind. He was soft and sweet, with a bleeding heart, but hid it under the silhouette of his rugged exterior. And he noticed me. He noticed me while I dove deep into my heart, trying to escape the pain by swimming deeper until I couldn't hold my breath any longer; because sometimes you needed to embrace the dark to fall into the light. He was the only one who'd swam the depths of my soul to truly understand me and all of my imperfections. Unlike everyone else. He was the only reason I smiled. The only reason I breathed. Laughed. And kept on loving. Because he showed me life is large, and that you could smile through anything. Even death.