Eve

Her name was Lola. She was a Showgirl.

No, I'm joking. She was nothing more than a girl whose soul flourished with laughter and thrived off love. But she was lonely. She was sad. She was single and alone, and yet surrounded by the people who loved her, but always by herself.

Lola was the strongest person any of her friends knew, she was always ready with an ear to listen, or a string of pearls decked with wisdom. She was the person to turn to when things got hard, or sad, or happy, or mad. Lola's friends saw nothing but beauty. But she was alone in a sea of people.

Lola only wanted one thing.

To be loved. Not for her looks, for she was beautiful, or for her body, though it was strong, nor for her intelligence, though it was vast. She wanted to be loved for the parts of her soul that she never let anyone see, for things kept most sacred. But how to tell a person that this was her true desire when she could not even admit this to herself.

One day Lola met Eve in the window of a shop selling beautiful mirrors.

Eve was strong, and confident, and beautiful, and secure. Eve looked at her reflection and saw nothing but her own accomplishments. Eve did not see scars, or battle wounds, or the moments when she had almost given up. Eve saw tiger stripes, and her successes and her own sense of fearless achievement. And Lola wanted to be loved by her. She wanted to learn to love the things about herself that Eve saw as beautiful.

And so she tried. Every day she spoke with Eve, and Eve told her one thing to focus on and gives thanks for. And Eve began to fall in love with Lola. And Lola began to fall in love with Eve. And they were happy to hold a hand out for each other when times were tricky. When Lola stumbled, Eve would hold her in front of the mirror and make her count the ways in which she was smart, and funny, and beautiful, and whole. Piece by piece Lola began to feel complete. And as she did, Eve began to fade out of focus. But Lola did not need her because she knew that Eve was always there, within her, to guide her to the mirror and make her count the ways in which she thrived.

And one day, when Lola was feeling low, she took herself by the hand and led herself to the mirror and asked herself to count the ways in which she was smart, and funny, and beautiful. And whole. And before she even got to the end of the list, she realised she did not need to count the ways she was whole, because she loved herself enough to know no matter how many flaws she found in the reflection staring back at her, Eve had given her a gift no one else could bestow — self-love.

And so Lola smiled, and as she turned away, Eve smiled back, because Eve had never been more within the confines of the mirror — she had only ever existed to reflect back the things that others saw in Lola. And only then did Lola feel she could be loved by another, for she loved herself enough to know her own true worth.

And so Lola walked with her head held high, with her accomplishments, and her scars, and her battle wounds, and her self love, and she walked until she found the person with whom she could share the secrets of her soul. But Lola always remembered, although she shared those secrets, they did not belong to anyone but her, because they were what made her smart, and funny, and beautiful... and whole.