To be Loved

"People- people who need people
are the luckiest people in the world.
We're children, needing other children,
and yet, letting our grown-up pride,
hide all the need inside.
Acting more like children,
Than children."
-Funny Girl

They tell me I'm childish and desperate for attention. A drama queen. Pathetic. I know. I agree. I'm addicted to the sound of applause. I'm well aware of the tizzies I go into when I'm ignored.
So when I ran into a friend at rehearsal whom I haven't seen in months, I tagged along behind him and others. He's the big brother I never had, the mentor I look up to, and the shoulder I cry on. The conversation danced around the colleges they're going to, the shows they're putting on, the groups they got into. Nothing I could relate to. So I followed, pretending my heart didn't hurt.
Suddenly, his arm was around me. I smiled and buried my head in his chest. Laughing, he kissed the top of my head. And I realized, that was all I needed. To know I was loved. It doesn't matter how much attention he gives me, because when he reaches out to me, even in that one small gesture, I know he loves me. To be loved, and to know we are loved, is all anyone asks for.
People need other people, maybe not for constant attention, but just to be loved.