Thousands of miles, 1,622 to be exact (a whole 24 hours' drive), away from you. Even though we saw each other not too long ago, the ache to be on the road to visit you again hits me harder than ever before - when I'm sitting with others who don't know my story, our story, as well as we do; when I'm up late doing homework, dreading going to work the next day, wishing I could be laughing beside you without a care in the world, playfully fighting over what song we want to play next on our multiple-hour driving adventure. When I look across the room, and you aren't standing there, I'm wishing you were by my side.
We understand each other's need to be away - to keep on moving - because that's all we've ever known and grown up with - we don't know how to stay. And with that, brings separation. But you remind me of the pages in a scrapbook, filled with photographs and scribbled descriptions and cheesy stickers, that sometimes fills me with sadness, but also a sense of happy nostalgia. You are a breath of fresh air; a moment in time that allows me to feel alive again. You are laughter. Not only do you bring it, but you are a person that leaves me breathlessly full of life craving for it to never cease.
College, and life in general, is an exciting time to experience so many things, have many other relationships, but having you by my side for almost 10 years now isn't something that's easy to put aside. I want to believe I won't forget you, but instead of seeing you everyday, I'm missing you - your stupid jokes, your same love for coffee runs, your view of life, your need to get out, and your understanding of me that no one else has.
But instead of focusing on only missing you, I want to say thank you. Thank you for the Pinterest pins, the crazy late-night conversations, the rushed phone calls that we should've planned, but didn't (because we both know we like a bit of spontaneity). Thanks for the Facebook comments on random, but relatable posts, the encouragement to keep pushing forward and for always making me laugh. You really are the person I hate the least and I really hope we are what we believed we would be since we were young: besties for the resties.
