"Through Time and Tears: Our Unbroken Bond"

 The three dots on the chat screen, signaling he was typing, made my heart race with curiosity. Finally, I received a message: "You please continue, I'm filled with emotions." As he asked, I began sharing the rest of my story.

I remembered back to the ninth grade, when someone asked, "Who was your first crush?" Without thinking, I blurted out his name. I was shocked that I had said it, but in that moment, I realized he was the best thing that had ever happened to me.

Years passed, and I never had the chance to see him again, until my 12th grade. Even though we were apart, I never forgot him. Whenever someone mentioned a crush, I thought only of him. I knew no one could replace him in my heart. My closest friends knew his name, too, because I must've told them our childhood story more times than I could count.

As I shared this with him, I realized something important: Even without being together, he had been with me all along. From my sixth grade to this reunion while we were both working, he had unknowingly traveled with me through all those years apart—more than 15 years without a single meeting. I took the chance to ask him, "Why did you leave and go to another school? You have no idea how much I missed you."

It was a moment of relief, as if destiny had planned that I would only share my feelings after all this time.

His first response was unforgettable: "I surrender to you." I’ll never forget that moment. To my surprise, I was also his first crush, and he revealed it at the same time. He told me, "No one has ever taken me as part of their journey like you did. Even in my absence, you were with me all along." Our eyes were filled with emotions—happiness, sadness, longing—and the tears we shared proved the beauty of our childhood connection.

That day, we made a promise to each other: No matter what happened, our bond would remain eternal. And from that day forward, it marked the beginning of a never-ending journey in our lives.