We met after high school.

You found me on Instagram after four years of wondering who I really was. We had attended the same school during our freshman year of high school but never met in person, which was shocking to us. We had so many mutual friends and so many similar classes that it was impossible for us not to have met. Yet, we only knew of each other. Only our names and our pictures on social media. In fact, for those four years, I had a cute little internet crush on you.

When I finally met you, I knew. I just knew that you would be the one. Even during our months apart, I found myself thinking about you every day: about your eyes as blue as mine, your perfect smile, the way you made me laugh even while I cried and how you are the only person in this world that I felt was somehow apart of me. You loved me endlessly, you broke my heart, you respected and cared deeply for me, and you left me in despair. But every time we were apart, fate always had a way of bringing us back together. And all of this happened after our years in high school.

But if we had met in high school, our story would be different.

Freshman year was difficult for both of us. I had lost my father just months before I entered high school and was struggling with my mental health and individuality. We were both considered outcasts by some, but we did have a small circle of friends. I'll never forget the first time I saw a picture of you. You may disagree with me, which I'll allow, but by God, you were as cute as a button. I spent some of my thinking time wondering what it'd be like if we met and you actually took a liking to me because at the time I didn't think it would ever be possible for me to fall in love. I didn't even think that love existed. I truly thought it was only something that happened in the movies. I never pursued those opportunities to talk to you, even at that time during the sophomore year that you messaged me and told me I was cute.

I was scared, even though I wasn't so sure why. Maybe it was due to the fact that growing up, I rejected male attention for a long time due to the fear of being ridiculed or embarrassed about how awkward I was. Or maybe, it was God's plan for us. Maybe there was a reason we didn't meet before. The heavens and stars aligned themselves in such a specific way that made us wait to make the first solid connection happen between us. We were both fairly immature in high school, and we both struggled with our individuality and emotional strength. It was hard, very hard, to cope with the changing world around us. So let's say we did meet each other then. Would we get together? Most likely, since we both have similar personalities and interests. But the real question is, would our relationship have lasted so long?

If we had met in high school, would we be together now?

I'm gonna be honest. Regular high school relationships last around two months max. Only the lucky few will discover the diamond gem of a long-term relationship in high school. We would've met at the wrong time, in the wrong place, during the hardest period of our own lives. I can guarantee you, we wouldn't have lasted long. Of course, we've had our issues even now. This is our third time dating, and the times we dated before didn't last long either. But for some reason, we kept coming back to each other again every time. If that isn't fate, then I don't know what is.

This time around is different. We are more mature and more alive than we've ever been. We've been on this roller coaster we call "life" for so long,

That we're prepared for anything that is violently thrown in our way. And we will conquer it all together. You always know how to make my day ten times better. I [almost] know your music taste like the back of my hand. We are patient with each other, we make each other laugh every day, and we work together through the hardest days. You bring out the best in me, and I in you. I just know in my heart that we were meant for each other.

If we had met in high school, I wouldn't know how to love you like I do now.

And Alex, I love you more than the world will ever know.