Flashback
to when we were nine
His guts
really hated mine

I was new
He didn't even know me
I didn't know
why he felt so strongly

Months passed,
with much of the same
Until we're on the same team
for some kind of game

We talked, really talked
for the first time since we met
and to myself, I sort of thought,
"I don't even know you yet"

But we had both chipped a tooth
me- on a fork, him- on a door
The animosity started to dissolve,
and thus, the start of something more

Flash forward
about a year or so
and see our friendship
begin to grow

Cherished memories
built their place in my head
Fun things we'd done
and funny things he'd said

We're growing up,
that we couldn't deny
But we were growing up
together, side by side

Again, the clock turns
forward two more years
He says he has a secret
and his eyes fill with tears

It took all his strength to tell me
He showed courage, though he was scared
But I had the same secret
A secret from then on, we both shared

That summer was a mess
We took a turn for the worse
I sensed a crack in our bond
Our conversations felt rehearsed

We went on like this
different, for far too long
I almost began to worry
that what we had was gone

But one day, in an instant,
We were "us" again
Perfectly intact,
My dearest, dearest friend

Our families, our coaches joked
That we'd date, after a while
But we knew each other's secret
and we'd share a knowing smile

I watched you grow, into yourself
and you watched me as well
Then came the day, we both met someone
and into love, we fell

And to this day, I tell you all
my wins, my losses too
I can count on you to talk with me,
even for a quick "how are you"

You care about me so so much
and there's a guarantee,
That we'll be friends until the end
Nathan, you mean the world to me