Sometimes, Love Is Just a Friend

Some of the deepest bonds you can experience can exist within pure friendship.

It was my final year in university. Before resuming, my relationship with my girlfriend had just ended. (It was all my fault, but that might be a story for another day.) I wasn’t taking it well at all.

I returned to school feeling unenthusiastic and unmotivated. The breakup hit me hard. I stopped working out and lost my drive for almost everything.

The worst part? She had moved on, and I was stuck, obsessively stalking her social media.

Thinking about it now, oh my, I was miserable. She had been my best friend too, so I didn’t even have someone to talk to about it.

I remember one particular night. I can’t recall the exact day, but it was a weekday. I was alone in my hostel room; my roommates had gone out to hang with their friends.

I was restless, drowning in thoughts about my failed relationship. I stepped outside and paced up and down the corridor, trying to clear my mind. Eventually, I wandered into the room next to mine, and no one else was there apart from Ceetee.

I already knew Ceetee, I could say we were friends, more like surface-level friends. But that night, I just started ranting about my breakup in a comedic way.

I tend to make jokes about every aspect of my life (and, mind you, I think I’m kinda funny, at least, that’s what most of my friends say). Ceetee listened and laughed, which made me feel a little better. After our conversation, I didn’t think much of it, nor did I expect him to.

The next evening, I was in a room where my friends and I usually hung out, and Ceetee was there too. Out of nowhere, he walked up to me, hugged me, and asked how I was feeling. I gave him a generic response like, “I’m good,” but I was confused. Then it hit me.

Ceetee had seen through my jokes. He had noticed that behind the humor was someone truly hurting. And that moment marked the beginning of one of my greatest friendships.

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“A friend is one soul abiding in two bodies.” — Aristotle

Over the following weeks, our friendship grew stronger, and the pain from my heartbreak gradually faded. We talked about everything, our past experiences, our fears about life after school, our insecurities.

We cracked the wildest jokes and spent countless evenings binge-watching The Order on Netflix, complaining about how cringe it was while still being hooked.

Beyond the fun, I learned a lot from Ceetee. He was incredibly considerate, always looking out for me. If I fell asleep with my phone and laptop on my bed, he’d move them to my table and plug in my phone so it would be charged by morning. He was organized, and being around him made me more structured too.

The most significant thing was how he helped me reconnect with God. He convinced me to join a 30-day Bible devotional online with him. At first, I was reluctant, but after some persuasion, I agreed. Looking back, I’m so grateful I did.

Ceetee and I were more alike than different, almost like the same person in two bodies.

“Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget.” — G. Randolf

Fast forward to today. It’s been about three years since we graduated. Life has taken us in different directions, and we don’t talk as much anymore. But every now and then, my mind drifts back to those good old days, just me and Ceetee, playing our best days in slow motion.

We may not all be lucky in romantic relationships. But maybe, just maybe, sometimes, a friend, a truly good friend, is all the love you need 😉

“And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.” — 1 Samuel 18:1

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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