I did, but...

So, I liked this guy for 5 years. It was a very manga-like crush, too, to be honest. I was interested in him because we were both top-performers in class (I'm NOT bragging, I didn't have to work to get there, and it backfired on me in the end), and after a few months to a year of my eyes following him, I realized I had a crush on him. So, me being a tsun-kuu-dere, I kept quiet up until the point where I couldn't handle it anymore. Well, suffice it to say, I'd never ran out of class before that day, but I passed him a note saying that I liked him and he showed it around the class laughing. I was so embarrassed, and yeah, I'm sure that left a bit of a mental scar within me. But, even so, I continued to like him for a while after that. I just didn't talk to him, not really.

My 5 years crush ended when I got into high school and focused my attention on myself instead of on crushes. I mean, I had them, but not nearly as intense (celebrity crushes mainly). But, even now, I don't think I'll ever forget my first major crush.

I ran into him a few years ago, maybe 5 years ago now. The funny thing? He still seemed to want to avoid me, acting awkward and everything, but I had long since gotten over him. By that point, I had found out what really loving someone means and the difference between that and a crush. I'm currently happily engaged to the love of my life, and though my crush didn't turn out manga-like, I'm certain that some part of me was still influenced by liking him. Just... not in the way you might expect.

I don't regret having liked him, or even giving him that embarrassing love note. I think that some of these things formed the foundation of the backbone I have today.