For those of you who are offended by sappy love things on the internet, I’m not sorry, because it’s totally up to you to keep reading this.

Greta,

I’ve known you since we were two new faces on a path in the woods, you: fourteen, northwoods, energetic. Me: sixteen, wandering, timid. I was fascinated by your charm, charmed by your energy, and energized by your presence. Before I joined the theater program at Conserve to be with you, I remember sitting outside the auditorium being bored out of my mind but hoping so much that you would walk by outside and I could say hello to you.

You couldn’t go to dances and I was terrified of your parents. I would sit in the gathering space and sneak glances at you from across the couches where we – the couch monkeys – gathered. You preemptively turned me down before I asked you to the Haloween dance. I remember being upset, but at the same time happy, because you had acknowledged that I existed. It sounds kinda creepy now but when you’re in high school that’s the kind of thing that happens. I asked you out three more times, according to legend. I remember only two of them but I’m sure we’ll be telling people it was seven times eventually for the sake of a story.

You held my hand in the woods. I nearly died. Iana made fun of you for confusing me.

One of the happiest days of my life is the first day we kissed. I remember it like a movie in my head. You were sitting on the couch watching Mulan with Mara and Ben and maybe some other people. I was in some odd position that put my head on your soulder. Our cheeks touched accidentially and then not accidentially and then we kissed and I still remember exactly how it felt and how the light looked through the glass and the texture of your shirt and the feeling in my stomach and the feeling of the couch cutting into me but I didn’t care.

We broke up for the summer but spent so much time talking on the phone that it wasn’t really like we were apart.

We fell in love walking through the woods 6 years ago.

Greta, you inspire me and give me purpose – thank you for allowing me to be a part of the latest third of your life. Happy 21st birthday!

From Brooklyn,

–Erty