I was about to curl up all cosy with my blocked nose when I remembered this. Be proud I actually published and didn't allow my cold to dictate the terms of this fic :P Only I could get a cold on the very first day of actual cold weather (and by that I mean it got as low as 12C). *sigh* Thank you to all those who've been sending lovin' my way for this one, it's still astounding :)
xx
F is for the friendship you have shown me over the years. I know I haven't always been the best of friends to you but you have always been wonderful to me. You believed in me when no one else did and, more than that, you introduced me to the others. I am completely unashamed to admit how much you all meant to me back then and still do today. That companionship was something I rarely found as a child and as I grew, it only got harder but the four of you welcomed me and made me feel as if I had a place amongst you.
Growing up I was never lacking in company or friends but there was always something different about me. Whether that was because of my mind or my family I never knew but I never quite clicked with anyone. I remember the day I arrived at Oxford being so terribly afraid that I'd be again ostracized. That was the day I made the decision to not allow anyone the chance to shun me. I figured it was easier to not have friends than to suffer through the indignity of seeming so needy. Plus I was so certain of myself I felt it almost unnecessary to attend classes and meet my 'peers'.
Then you came along with your cheerful scolding and entrancing eyes and, in a matter of minutes, changed my entire opinion on the subject of friends as well as women. You did that quite a lot, come to think of it.
F is for friendship, a friendship that has kept me going even in the darkest of days.