A friendship where you're always trying to be considerate of the other person, always worrying about what they think, always responding to every single text, always seeking their approval and then finally connecting with them, isn't friendship at all.

After all, the entire process of "getting along" is nothing more than a cycle of deception. You're lying to yourself and others. They acknowledge that they're being deceived, and you acknowledge that they're deceiving you [. . .] In the end, it's nothing more than falsehood, suspicion, and deceit.

Was this really friendship? I have my doubts.

An experienced loner does not fall for the same trick twice.