She asked me how I knew it was love and

I didn't know what to say.

I had only loved once and the love

was only true for him.

I couldn't stop thinking about the way he 

looked at me, the way he said my name.

So I told her:

Tell him to shut up when he calls you baby.

Tell him to fuck off when he says he loves you.

Tell him he is not the center of your universe.

That he doesn't deserve to be, because 

he will eventually leave.

Laugh at another boy's jokes and stroke

his arm.

Whenever he wants to see you, tell him

you cannot.

Don't let him see you with messy hair and

a bare face.

When you are a cold, do not take his

favorite sweater.

Do not tell him what your favorite song is,

or what you want for Christmas.

And when he laughs at someone else's

jokes, pretend not to care.

Now turn around,

if he is still there

then you know it is love.​