Yup. I have friends that I can talk to/let off steam/generally have us laughing out loud, but that is underlined by the absolute confidence that my best mate of all, the person I'm safest with, the one who has been there at my absolute lowest, my worst health, my stroppiest, my nicest and my most vulnerable, the one who has let me see his lowest moments, is there.
He's the person I don't always need to talk to because we can say a thousand words and tell a hundred jokes through gestures, a twitch of an eyebrow or just through not saying anything.
We were friends first, but when we finally got around to getting it together, it just felt absolutely natural and as though we'd always been together.
I was running late leaving work today, tired and pissed off waiting for the bus. He managed to finish work a bit earlier for a change. Once I'd slumped into the seat and sighed with relief, he came bouncing down the stairs from the top deck grinning and saying 'I hoped I'd catch you!'. And I know my face absolutely lit up because him being there, even though we'd be home soon enough anyhow, just made the end of my day so much better.
Took a long time to meet somebody who's as much of a twat as me, but it's been worth it.