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To whom it may concern,
Please pay attention to him. He’ll never ask you to. He’ll never tell you if he’s feeling lonely or sad. He can’t. He doesn’t want to be a bother to you. You can’t tell just by looking at the surface, but he gets lonely very easily.
Don’t just leave if you’re fighting. Let him know that you still care, that you want to work things out. He’s been hurt so many times before. He’s so scared of being abandoned. Don't put him through that.
Memorize his order at his favorite fast food places. Don’t ask, don’t make a big deal out of it, just do it. Learn these little things about him. Show him that you care about him in these little ways.
Watch him when he blushes. Study it, learn it. It doesn’t happen very often, but it’s something wonderful to see. It starts under his eyes and then spreads across his nose. It touches his cheeks last. And watch his eyes when he blushes. I never realized just how pretty eyes could be until I saw his when he blushes.
When he cries, he doesn’t want you to make eye contact or touch him a lot. But look into his eyes at least once because nothing can describe how beautiful his eyes are when he cries. You could drown in his eyes when he's teary. Give him a blanket or your sweatshirt, let him curl up and hide his face. Don’t push him to talk, but stay close and let him know that you’re there, that you're not going anywhere. Talk quietly about happy things or sing to him until he feels better.
Try not to mind if he gets a little jealous. He doesn’t mean to, but you mean a lot more to him than he’ll ever admit. He doesn’t want to lose you, and he’s scared that he’s not good enough. Reassure him, let him know that you’re not going anywhere. Don't flirt, and don't let anyone flirt with you. Show him off, tell everyone he's yours. It'll make him happy, even if he acts like he doesn't like it.
Do yourself a favor and look into his eyes. Really look. Study them like your life depends on it. It’s easy to miss how pretty they are, how many emotions they show. Look into his eyes, but be careful not to look for too long because he’ll get self-conscious if he notices you staring.
Compliment him. All the time. Don't let a day pass where you don't compliment him. As confident as he acts, he’s very insecure, especially about his body. Tell him that he looks good, compliment his hair. He loves it when people compliment his hair.
On the subject of his hair, please don’t touch it when it’s styled. He spends a lot of time and effort on it, and he doesn’t want it to get messed up. But play with it when it isn’t styled. It’s so soft on your fingers, and he loves the way it feels when people play with his hair. Pet it, comb it, run your fingers through it. Let him fall asleep against you as you play with his hair.
Learn what the music he listens to means to him. Pop when he’s trying to study, punk rock/pop rock when he’s goofing off, instrumentals when he’s upset or stressed, rap and metal when he's exercising. He loves youtube cover artists like Caleb Hyles and Jonathan Young, especially when he’s trying to work through his thoughts and feelings.
Listen to him when he sings. He’s self-conscious about it so try not to comment or do it too often, but listen once in a while. His voice is so damn gorgeous. It’s a lot softer and smoother than you’d expect. It’s like caramel or melted chocolate. Close your eyes and let his voice wash over you. Listen to the differences in his singing voice depending on his mood. Listen to the way his voice gets a little deeper and raspier when he’s close to tears. You can hear it in his singing before you can hear it when he talks.
Take him to see animal exhibits. Watch the changes in his facial expression when he looks at them. They’re subtle, but you can see it if you pay attention. He smiles a little more, his eyes are brighter, and without even realizing it he’ll open his mouth a little when one of them does something cool.
Go to concerts with him, even if you’re not interested in the band that’s playing. Go just to spend time with him, to watch his eyes light up as they play his favorite songs, to watch him get pumped and scream along with the crowd.
He likes to cuddle under a blanket on the couch while watching movies, especially when he’s been sad or stressed. Pull him closer to you and wrap your arms around him. Play with his hair and feed him snacks if he’s hungry. Don’t fight with him over what movie you’re going to watch. When he’s upset or stressed he likes to watch certain movies that always make him feel better, even if they are silly or cringey.
He likes to hold on to something while he’s sleeping. It makes him feel more secure. He has a lot of nightmares when he gets really stressed or upset. Don’t get mad if he wakes you up. Just hold him tight and rub his back. He doesn’t like to talk about them, so don’t even ask. Just keep touching him and whisper reassurance to him until he falls asleep again. Let him know that you’re there.
Don’t ever make him feel like he’s high maintenance. He deserves so much more than life has given him, and he’ll never ask for something if he thinks it’s going to be a bother. Make sure he knows that he’s not a burden to you. Let him know that you’d do anything for him.
Just… please. Love him. Life’s been so cruel to him. He deserves to be loved. He deserves to be someone’s whole word. He’s my whole world. But life is unfair like this. So it’s my job to be his best friend, to cherish him until you come around to do the things I can’t.
Whatever you do, make sure he’s happy.
He deserves to be happy.