Lately I'm going through a rough time (can you tell?) and I have several close friends who've been trying to cheer me up. They tell me all these wonderful things about myself and how beautiful I am inside and out and what a unique perspective I have and what a fantastic sense of humor and so forth. It's really touching. But it's making me realize that I never hear that from the one person I really need to hear that from.
Because I don't think he feels that way. And it's not his fault. And it's not that he isn't capable of feeling that way about someone.
...But it isn't me.