THE DAY EVERYTHING STARTED TO CHANGE.

It all began with him…

It was summer. The old shack where we all used to hang out felt like nothing special—until the moment I saw him. His green eyes, his long hair, the smile that looked like sunlight. I still can’t explain whether it was lightning striking or butterflies screaming inside my stomach. I only knew something shifted.

But life wasn’t simple back then.

I was trapped in a relationship where I wasn’t myself—drinking too much, running from everything, having no respect for my own body or soul. My world was small and closed. I didn’t yet know how much HE would change my evenings… my mornings… my entire self. But somewhere deep inside, I felt like a new path had quietly opened for me.

Did I follow it?

No. Not yet.

That summer I disappeared into alcohol and chaos, and I didn’t see him again. School started. I entered another relationship—unbalanced and empty. I pretended I didn’t care about him. And then, in the middle of the school year, he started dating my best friend.

Did it bother me?

I said no.

But the truth was different.

I didn’t understand myself.

Why did my heart sink every time I saw them together?

Why did jealousy hit me when he held her hand or when she wore his hoodie? Why did something inside me break when she told me to smell his sweater?

I didn’t plan to think about him. But somehow, he kept living in the corners of my mind.

Months passed.

Their relationship started falling apart—her attitude, her careless words, her cheating. When I found out she betrayed him, my heart tightened. Not because I felt sorry for her, but because he didn’t deserve that kind of pain. I stayed silent. What could I even say?

THE NIGHT EVERYTHING SHIFTED

One evening, our friend group gathered in Laura’s backyard. We drank, we laughed, we made noise like teenagers do. I drank too much, he had only a little. But something about him that night was different—warmer, lighter, more open. It felt like the air had changed.

He paid attention to me.

Real attention.

I sat beside him, nervous because I felt like something would change forever if I got too close. He stole my phone and reposted funny videos on my TikTok. He laughed, and his laughter made me laugh too. And in that small, simple moment, I felt everything fall into place.

For the first time, I realized:

I truly liked him. Not a little. But deeply. Honestly. Completely.

MAY 4 – THE NIGHT I SAID IT

I was with my best friend. We were dancing, singing, drinking, talking about everything and nothing. A night where you feel free—but strangely lonely at the same time.

Past midnight, the silence inside me felt heavy. I wanted someone to hear me. Someone to understand.

So I sent a simple snap:

“Snap or chat?”

I didn’t expect much.

But he replied.

His first question made me laugh:

“What vape do you have?”

So innocent. So him.

And then… it happened.

I don’t know why or how—maybe alcohol, maybe courage, maybe a truth that didn’t want to hide anymore.

I typed:

“I love you.”

My hands shook. My heart was racing.

He thought I was drunk and said he’d ask me again in the morning to know if I meant it.

Morning came.

He asked.

And I told him the truth:

It wasn’t the alcohol. I meant every word.

He was in Norway at the time, but he believed me.

MAY 10 – SEEING HIM AGAIN

The butterflies in my stomach were so loud I could barely breathe. We went out with friends, played basketball, teased each other, laughed. He sat next to me when I was tired. His eyes met mine, and everything inside me moved.

I wasn’t scared anymore.

Not of my feelings, not of him.

MAY 16 – A DAY I WILL NEVER FORGET

School ended and we all got on the bus home. He sat beside me. I felt his warmth, his scent, the rhythm of his breathing. Our friends surrounded us, chanting for us to make a “first move.” We were both red as tomatoes, shaking with nerves.

And then he kissed me.

His first move.

He hid his face in my lap afterward, embarrassed and overwhelmed. I told him it was okay—because it was more than okay. My heart was glowing.

Before he got off the bus, he kissed me two more times. That day, I felt like the happiest kid alive.

MAY 23 – OUR FIRST NIGHT TOGETHER

We spent the night with friends in an apartment. It was the first night I felt safe with him. We kissed, we held each other, we talked in the dark. He cared. Genuinely cared.

He was the kind of person who checked on me every 30 minutes, who worried about the smallest things, who would never let even a fly touch me.

That night he opened his world to me.

And I let him into mine.

SUMMER – A LOVE THAT GREW

June began with closeness, warmth, and small adventures. We worked summer jobs together. We went swimming on hot days. On June 9, things got more intimate—we kissed under blankets, touched each other shyly, curiously, lovingly.

The whole summer belonged to us.

Even when I traveled—song festivals, villages, trips—he waited.

And I returned to him every time.

AUTUMN FEARS

School started again. Exams were coming. The future was scary. But the biggest fear wasn’t school—it was distance. After 9th grade, I would have to move. And the thought of losing him broke something inside me.

But he stayed.

We stayed.

Because I didn’t need anyone else.

He became my man, my love, my partner, my best friend, my future.

DECEMBER 2 – WHERE WE STAND TODAY

We’ve been through so many arguments, tears, frustrations, misunderstandings. But we kept choosing each other. Again and again.

I cannot imagine life without him.

He showed me what love really is.

He showed me what it means to be cared for, to be protected, to be chosen.

From the moment I looked into his eyes that summer day, something inside me whispered:

“Yes. He is the one.”

And I believe it still.

Thank you for loving me.

Thank you for staying with me.

Thank you for being the person who opened my world.

I love you—

today, tomorrow, and for the rest of my life.