You Should Date A Boy Who Breathes

Date a boy. Date a boy who breathes because it means that he’s not a zombie, not a vampire, not an imaginary friend. He is human. His warm breath betrays the blood the courses through his veins, the steady beating heart in his chest, a beating heart that you can feel when you lay your hand on his chest for the first time. His breath will tell you that he’s alive, that he is real, that he is there.

A boy who breathes can have so many faces. He can be sloppy-haired, well-groomed, tanned, tall or short. He can be the boy who you see from across the room and feel an instant connection. He can be the boy with the smile that makes your heart jump. He can be the boy you never looked twice at—but one day found yourself looking at again and again.

Date a boy who breathes. His breath will tickle your neck when he whispers your name. And his deep yet rapid breathing will tell you that he wants you, more than words can convey. A boy who breathes will not hesitate to share your breath with every lingering kiss. Date a boy who breathes because you will laugh together when the climate is so cold that both of you could make minute fogs with your words.

A boy who breathes will surprise you because you never know what to expect. He will never subscribe to one kind of talent, one formula. He will take you places or stay with you wherever you may be. You will never need a checklist with him, or a bingo card to make sure that he’s the boy who breathes. He just is.

You can date a boy who travels or date a boy who doesn’t – but the boy you think is a traveler is not just a traveler. He can be many things, and he will change because no one stays the same. You can date a boy who reads or date a boy who doesn’t or date a boy who reads occasionally but can still hold you in the most riveting conversation for hours, from dawn until midnight. Because boys who read a hundred books a day are not the only ones who can capture your attention. Because you’ll be surprised where you can find the stuff the boy of your dreams is made of.

Date a boy who breathes because that’s the only thing that will never change. He will inhale and exhale until death claims him – and it is the only sure thing in life. Because if you date a boy who travels, or a boy who sings, a boy who plays the guitar, a boy who surfs, a boy who writes, would you know what happens when the time comes when he no longer becomes a boy who travels, a boy who sings, a boy who plays a guitar, a boy who surfs, a boy who writes? Will you stay? Will you leave? Will you date the boy who is no longer the boy you once dated?

Date a boy who can be many things to you because that’s what boys are. He will never come in one package – he can be a traveler, a singer, a monster, a surfer, a reader, musician, a lover, an enemy, a friend. A boy can never be just a boy, and he will never be just a label.

Date a boy who breathes because you are better than boxing someone in a label. You are capable of seeing beyond impressions. You are intelligent, deep, thoughtful, and open-hearted.

Date a boy who breathes because you don’t date based on perceptions, based on lists, based on stereotypes. A boy will not always be a boy. One day he will become a man, and maybe since you just wanted to date the boy, you will lose the (maybe better) man that he became.

Date a boy because you can never tell what kind of boy he is by the style of his hair, the color of his skin, the way he dresses, the sound of his voice. Date a boy who breathes because he can be so many things. He can party with you in clubs until the morning sun beckons you back to bed, but he can also climb mountains, traverse deserts, and swim in clear waters with you.

Date a boy who breathes because everyone deserves someone who will love him not because he is one thing – but because he is a multitude of things, a mystery, a complexity.

Just like you.

A boy who breathes will make mistakes and fail expectations – because he is human and because all of us are made of flaws and imperfections. A boy who breathes is like you, a girl or boy who breathes, and you will relish in life, maybe in love—together, if both of you will move past all your misconceptions about boys and girls, and date someone for being someone.

Date a boy who breathes. Date a girl who breathes. And maybe, just maybe, you will be breathing in the beauty of being alive together without being held back.