Hello, Tree-Snow.

Lately, I have been having... dreams.
Some have been nightmares.
Most have included old faces.
Lost loves, or loves I never had.
Old friends, or new traitors.

But let's not talk about that now. Now, I'm talking to you.

It has been some time since you showed your face in a dream of mine.
I still remember it quite vividly. Our dance of fire and steel.
I smile when I read that poem. It's one of the few that don't hurt me to reflect on.
But again, I digress.

Perhaps my dream was a continuation of the last dream of yours.
The dream itself lasted a moment, maybe two.
But somehow, I experienced every delightful second.

It was the two of us, alone together
Sat across from the other in a library
I somehow remember us building together

For the moment, our books were closed in our laps
Our fingers acting as placeholders
So we don't lose track of the page we're on
And the air is buzzing as we look at each other
The quietest echoes of a conversation fading away
The kind that lets you see the whole world
In a completely new view, that makes it look even more beautiful.

And as that little buzz died out, I sighed
I could almost smell all the old stories in the library
Every letter on every page
And I laughed for a moment
And you cocked your head and asked me why
Would you like to know what I said?

"I know this is not real. That I am dreaming.
But I also know that my life is changing.
I know that where I am right now, there is no comfort.
And I think it's beautiful that, when I dive into my mind
And look for that comfort I miss so terribly,
There are still some safe places.
And you are still one of the safest.
You will never love me like I loved you, and that's okay.
And you might never hear me tell you how I love you,
How much I have and will love you.

But I do.
Truly, old friend, I love you."

You smiled at me in a way you never will,
And somehow, that brought me more comfort in the dead of night
Than every smile any no-longer-love gave me.