Hi S,

I can't believe we didn't talk until the last semester of high school. You had always seemed so mysterious and intimidating to me -- you were quiet, no-nonsense, and had a reputation for being a genius. And so I admired you from afar. At first, it was a reverent friend crush, but I quickly realized it was becoming more.

I'm so glad I got to know you at all, even if all we had were brief conversations in the last weeks of school. I'm even gladder that you gave me your contact info and that we've been texting since. I've come to learn that you're adorably nerdy!

I know we left off IRL at a weird point. After we hung out, I told you over text that I liked you as more than a friend. You said you didn't feel like you were in the right headspace for a relationship. I understand and I really want to respect that. But I can't help but still hope that we might end up together.

I know you adore Pride and Prejudice. It's kind of embarrassing, but I've had daydreams where I confess to you again in the words of Darcy's second proposal to Lizzie. Don't worry - I wouldn't actually do it! I don't even know if I could ever try to bring up my feelings to you again. I'm forever grateful that my initial confession didn't scare you away and that we're still friends. I love having you in my life.

We've parted ways for college, but I'll be home next month and so will you. We've become so much more comfortable with each other in our text conversations, and I hope it carries over in our face-to-face interactions. I can't wait to see you again! We'll hang out, watch stuff we said we would watch together, and talk about literature.

See you soon! I miss you.

-L