Up until a few months ago I related all too perfectly to Katherine Heigl's character in 27 dresses. I was chronically single, incapable of saying no to anyone and anything, and quite possibly living in a dream world of Pinterest boards and unreachable standards.

Although I knew better than to think loving someone was a complete fairytale, I let myself daydream regardless. I imagined it to be big gestures and cheesy texts (and it is sometimes) but most of the time it's the little things.

Loving someone is doing homework for five hours on a Saturday when you'd rather be on a date because they have a test coming up; it's them talking you up when you feel like you can't get one thing right; it's about them being your best friend and the first person you want to tell any news to whether it's good or bad.

Loving someone is saying I love you before you hang up the phone even when you're angry; it's searching "How to tie a tie" in youtube and showing up with flowers just because; it's laughing so hard you fall to the ground and rapping old Drake songs together.

Loving someone is fun, exciting, comfortable and also messy, ridiculous and hard. It's taking everything about the other person (the good, the bad and the ugly) and choosing to show them love when you do and when you don't feel like it.

It's praying for them and asking about their family; it's calling in the five minutes of free time you have between obligations to ask about their day; it's watching the same episode of Fixer Upper three nights in a row or listening to them go on and on about fantasy football.

Love is wanting the best thing for someone even if it means some sacrifice on your part. There's a lot of give and take involved in being with someone and some days you have to give more than you're taking.

There will be days when the person you love is struggling and those are the days you have to pick up the slack and say, "Hey, I'm here for you."

It's important to know that being with someone is not the Cinderella story you dreamed about when you were 4, dressing up in your moms heels and dancing around your play room. It's different, but it is good. It is lovely to love your best friend.