Hey there. It's been a little while.

I hope this letter finds you well. We're both in this weird, struggling, semi-adult phase of life right now, and I've been doing some reflection on my life before college — the life that sometimes seems so far away from me. When I do that, I can't help but think of you.

You were my first "love," my first kiss... and my first breakup.

I just wanted to say thank you.

Times sure have changed since I was a sophomore in high school, but I will never forget what you taught me. We were babies, but you never let a day go by without reminding me how special I was to you.

You complimented me. You spent time with my family. You held my hand.

Ours wasn't a long-lasting relationship, and that worked out for the best, but you were, in those months, everything I thought I wanted. We tried to see each other most every day, and we talked on the phone every night. The minute we were apart, we would start texting, "I miss you." We even thought we should get married right after high school, and that wait seemed too long. We were very silly, but what we felt was real.

So many of my friends talk about their first loves as boys that took advantage of them, boys that pushed them beyond what they intended for their relationship to be, boys that broke their heart. I don't have those horror stories, because you were the first boy I trusted with my heart. We both know now that our relationship was not meant to be, but I am grateful that you held my heart so gently and purely.

Thank you for showing me how I should expect a boy to treat me, from holding every door to spending time with all of my friends.

Thank you for not having ulterior motives, and for the short time we had together.

I will always be grateful for the way you treated me when I was 16, no matter where life takes me.

I wish you so much happiness.