​The one who can talk about politics one moment and the sunset the next. With whom difficult conversations don’t result in attacks and disappointments. With whom I can grow spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, financially, and humanly. With whom it is as easy to talk about the filth of this world as it is about memes, jokes, and humor in general. With whom, even if life feels like a battle, the marriage doesn’t. With whom I don’t have to pretend to be the perfect human just to get respect, bread, shelter, and love.

​A partner who becomes my shelter. A partner who becomes my love. A partner who lives platonically even if the romantic moments fade away. A partner who can appreciate and notice the mundane details of life with me.

​I need someone who is as disillusioned as I am about society, yet stubbornly hopeful about our own small world. Someone who understands that the system is broken without becoming broken themselves. A partner who brings their own wisdom, who challenges my fixed notions, and who is unafraid to expose their own scars. Someone who sees the beauty in melancholy and the necessity of truth, no matter how harsh.

We must be able to explore the absurdities of existence, the mysteries of consciousness, and the darkest parts of history, only to emerge closer and more aligned with the truth we hold between us.

​I only ask for the one person who understands that we don’t need the world’s approval, we just need to be real, to be safe, and to keep each other’s hearts guarded from the noise.

Sadia Hakim