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You Don’t Have to Be Anybody’s Dream Anything
Dream girl syndrome always leads to heartbreak.
One time my ex-fiance told me, “I used to fantasize about you all the time.” We’d known each other since high school, but didn’t hook up until our early 20s. His confession made me choke on my drink.
You see, I thought he didn’t like me. He was dating one of my best friends. Turns out, his disinterest was just a cover up act. He was hiding his secret little desires and trying to settle his guilt.
This is why he ignored me. Or made condescending little jokes about my writing. The truth was the opposite. “You were my dream girl.”
Many of us dream about being someone’s dream girl. We’ll print off a certificate that reads “Official Dream Girl Status,” and make you sign it. But wait a minute. Something felt strange.
Something in the back of my head told me not to believe him. And yet, I did anyway. My parents had raised me to believe that I wasn’t much to look at. Most of the time, they both acted like they could barely stand me. They compared me to my younger sibling all the time.
This makes even the most humble, introverted person hungry for attention and affection. I just didn’t know how to pursue it.
