I don't want to be loved for the things I am not proud of. I do not want to be loved for the things I forced myself to be. I do not want someone to admire the parts of me that feel like a mask, the things I perfected out of fear, not passion. If they only see the version of me that tries too hard, that hides flaws and pretends to have it all together, then is it really me they love? I want to be loved for the things I do not have to fake. The things that come naturally, the parts of me that exist even when no one is watching. I do not want to live with the fear that one day they will see past the image and realize I was never who they thought I was.