No love — only like
because love hurts
No love, only like, ’cause love cuts deep,
Do you even like me though, or is that wishful sleep?
You stay with her like it’s all you know how to do,
But when you look at me, do you see anything true?
I’ll stay until it starts to hurt, until the nights turn thin,
If I start to like you too much, I’ll leave before you sink in.
I can’t keep swallowing the ache, it makes me sick and small —
So I build my walls of maybe, I don’t answer when you call.
No love, only like — safer on the tongue,
No promises at midnight, no forever songs unsung.
If liking you becomes a storm I can’t outrun,
I’ll fold up like a paper heart and quietly be gone.
Why do you stay with her if you like me in the dark?
Is it cowardice or comfort, or just habit leaving marks?
I count the ways I almost fall and then I retract,
Because the thought of getting closer terrifies the fact.
I tell myself it’s better — a silence with no name,
That maybe love’s a gamble and I won’t play that game.
Do I even deserve it, or is love not meant for me?
I’m scared I’d choke on heaven, so I practice being free.
No love, only like — lighter than the truth,
We pass each other safely, we don’t ruin our youth.
If liking you becomes a fever I can’t fight,
I’ll shut the door before the hurt can steal the light.
Maybe one day I’ll learn to hold the ache and stay,
Maybe one day I’ll let someone in and not run away.
But for now I keep the distance, and I whisper to the wind
Love’s a shape I’m missing, so I’ll settle for a friend.
No love, only like — whisper it, don’t scream,
Keep the edges dull and the promises unseen.
If liking you becomes a storm I can’t outrun,
I’ll fold up like a paper heart and quietly be gone.
No love, only like — because love hurts