I don't know how it came to be, but I'm so happy that it did.
It was freshman year. The times of braces and acne, and confusing outfit choices. It happens. But something happened that year that would change my life forever.
It's when I met you.
Your blond hair caught my eye in the hall way that one day. It was long and flowing and resembled a Justin Bieber hairstyle. (thank God you cut it)
I made a pact with my best friend to gather up enough courage to approach you and talk to you. My unconfident freshman self couldn't muster up enough courage, so in result, I sent my best friend after you to do the talking for me.
With her, I sent my scribbled phone number on a piece of rugged wrinkled paper your way.
Reluctant to receive a response, I patted myself on the back for a job well done. I tried, so I gave myself an 'E' for effort.
My phone vibrated and it was you. My heart sunk into my stomach almost immediately. Butterflies prepared for take-off. We got to talking and things picked up.
We hung out in the presence of my parents and held hands thinking we were far more mature than we were. We dated for what seemed like an eternity to our 9th grade selves. It ended; like most high school relationships do.
I was the heartbreaker as my dad told me I would be. "You're going to be a heartbreaker someday, Sophia."
I'm sorry that I broke you. But I think I also repaired you.
After freshman year, I transferred schools. A decision that would ultimately bring us back together.
We went on with our lives and focused on our friends and our separate high schools. We drifted apart and for this I am sorry.
Junior year came and we started talking again. I'm not really sure how our conversations began again. It just happened all too suddenly and we both got caught up with one another. We fell for one another just as quickly as those autumn leaves changed color.
You showed up to one of my high school football games and watched as I jumped and yelled on the side lines for the anticipation that my team would bring home another victory.
You sat on the bleachers wanting to bring home a victory of your own, and I was your prize. Your smile radiated towards me and kept me warm despite the 40 degree weather on that cold, rainy evening.
That night we spent endless hours in your car talking and carrying on about time gone by. My frozen hands were defrosted by your warm touch. You held my hands in yours like they were meant to be there. Frank Sinatra music played in the back ground filling the atmosphere with class and romance. (Sinatra would later be a staple in our relationship and a to go on playlists for long car rides.)
Our Sinatra filled talks would become few and our talking dwindled; I was not yet ready to give you the relationship you so desired.
You gave me a poem.
Knowing my love for the genre, I kept it.
It lived among my other pieces I had written. Your words were lost amongst my words.
I was just waiting for our words to combine, and eventually that day came.
As I sat criss-crossed on my floor, I found the poem you had written me. A piece masterfully crafted. A piece that would put our puzzle together.
I texted you.
You responded; immediately.
We talked about poetry and the love we had towards words; secretly hoping that our love for words would turn into our love for each other.
It did.
That summer we were inseparable. The dates were numerous and never ending. Our hands never left one another's and I wouldn't have had it any other way. The heat that you provided my frost bitten hands on that cold evening was felt again.
The heat of summer turned to the changing foliage of fall as I began school, and you left to pursue your dream of becoming part of the Air Force.
8 weeks taught us both a lot as we grew closer through the intimacy of letter writing. Postage stamps became a necessity and envelopes were always needed in surplus to make our love for one another known through the mail.
You returned home to me just as I was running out of postage stamps.
I guess we did fall in love with each other through our words. Words make an impact on me and you yourself have made the biggest impact than any word could ever do. And for that I say thank you and I can't wait to see where our story goes from here.
I love you.
Signed sincerely,
The girl from the 9th grade.
