ser·en·dip·i·ty/ˌserənˈdipitē/

Noun: The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way: “a fortunate accident”.

Highschool… You go to school with someone for four years. You pass
them in the hallways all the time. They may see you or they may not.
You may see them or choose to be oblivious. Sometimes you look, but
don’t see. Sometimes you just miss them by a second. And then
sometimes you’re not in control. Sometimes fate just isn’t ready…

2006-2007: I had no idea you existed.

2007-2008: You said you saw me for the first time this year. Funny
how that works, because I never saw you.

2008-2009: You said you used to see me everyday, that you’d watch
me talk to him. I still had no idea you existed.

2009-2010: We graduated this year… I never knew you.

September 1st, 2010: So it was by chance when a mutual friend introduced us
on our college campus. Imagine… Had I had a way to commute to
Georgian Court or had the money for Exeter University… Had I stuck
with forensics and gone to New Haven….

You were so cute… I must’ve stared at you for a good ten minutes
before the little voice said, “Take a picture; it lasts longer…”

This was all I had after you left. I never even knew your name…
Well, no… Juliana eventually told me. I swear she must’ve thought
I was insane, but she didn’t dissuade me either. I knew she wasn’t crazy
about you though. Oh well, you were a catch to me…

Now fast forward just a teenie bit…

Septemper 17th, 2010: You’ve just asked me out the first time. Why the hell did I say no? I was stupid; I could slap myself, ya know. Fast forward another week… You’ve just asked if I’d be interested in hooking up some time if I didn’t want a boyfriend. I wasn’t looking for any hook-ups, but I should’ve said yes.

When I wasn’t trying to solve the many wonders of girls and their confusing
ways for you, you were asking me if I could go to the park with you…
I never went… I’m a jerk. And then everyday I saw you, at that bus stop,
on the same boulevard we each had to walk on to get home from highschool,
I regretted not saying yes a little more.

The day you laughed at me for wearing knitted boots in the rain and then
held your umbrella over me, I realized, I’d made a HUGE mistake…

“Oh Blacky, only you would wear those boots in the rain. It’s
because your blonde…”

Blacky… I still feel all tingly and smile when I think of
the way it sounded to hear you call me that. I loved it. I felt
like I was still important to you; I had a petname… I was defined
in your life.

Now fast forward to December…

Oh Sandy… She reunited us for the last time that semester. A twenty minute car ride. In fifteen, you were home. I never even wished you a Merry Christmas or even a good break… Maybe I figured I’d already blown my chances and there was no point in trying. I don’t know… I should’ve said something. Something more than, “No, I don’t smoke, but I don’t have a problem with smoking. And you?”

Skip the break, nothing happened. I never even spoke to you, though
I could see your name on my newsfeed. I had just gone over a month
not talking to you. It was a new semester and I was packed with work.
The funeral home at nights and classes all day. I rarely got out of
school before 4PM. I had lost my chance and I was coming to terms with
it. There were plenty of guys on campus; I could find one…

January 25th 2011: If it wasn’t for the food, I doubt I’d know you today. I
could smell the popcorn upstairs… I loved the smell, even if I couldn’t
eat it. (I still laugh everytime I choke on popcorn; only me…) Well,
that didn’t stop Juliana. She dragged me upstairs; literally. We were
getting nachos when she pointed you out… I ran to you…

Do you remember that? I ran to you and I actually hugged you. I was hoping
by the long embrace that you hadn’t given up on me, but I refused to get
my hopes up.

Do you remember when I leaned against your arm and I jumped back, saying I
didn’t know it was there? I knew…

I know I had said I’d take the bus with you that afternoon, but some foreign
lady had lost her insurance card and well, I figured that was more important
than catching a bus. I returned the card, but I also felt guilty.

Oh Facebook… It turns out, it’s not all evil. Sometimes it’s actually a
really great invention…

Andrea Squillante- January 25 at 19:24
Jeremy!!!! :P

We only sent back and forth 3 comments total before you messaged me
with your number. “txt me its easier 551-221-xxxx” I didn’t think of
it then, but that was very smooth… Easy way to get my number…

On the 27th, we had a snow day… I told you I was playing in the snow
with Angel. That fat lab… You wanted to come over, but you ended up
babysitting. It was ok, I understood, but I was still upset you couldn’t
join us. Two days and I already knew I wanted you. We talked all day on
that Thursday…

Friday night… I saw you for the first time outside of school. I had to
work that night, but seeing you was so nice. Erica made fun of me all night.
And then Saturday… Juliana, Erica, and I went to Dunkin Donuts… If only
I knew you lived two+ blocks away…

“FWP”… We named you that. “Friend with potential”… They asked what we
were and all I could think of was my favorite movie, “Say Anything”. John
Cusack tells Ione Skye that because she doesn’t want a boyfriend currently
that they could be friends with potential; potential to be more. You were
exactly that, a friend with the potential to be my boyfriend… I wanted you
to be mine. I know to soooo many it sounded insane that in four days I could
know I wanted you, but it wasn’t that crazy to me.

That night was terrible. My amazing day ended how it started; fighting with
my parents. I never feel good enough for them, but you made me feel special. I
finally felt like maybe someone cared. Maybe you were different…

“I wanna be in ur life though blacky, I wanna be there 4 yu to make yu smile
and laugh, I wanna be the shoulder yu cry on. I won’t decide tht ur complicated,
I never let anyone down, I hav always been there 4 someone… jus let me be
there 4 yu when yu need someone, thts all I ask. I dnt expect anythin from yu, I
jus wanna be part of ur life. I just want yu to like me for me and not want me to
change, for yu to be there for me and always care bout me, and I guess I expect
yu to want me sometimes :) im happy now wit yu blacky and I wouldn’t want it any other way :)”

January 30th, 2011: You came by again, but this time we took a walk. We had just turned on to Broadway and you put your arm around me. I originally thought you did that cos’ I’m an idiot who wore heels in the icey slush crap. I realized later, after we’d left Juliana’s that that’s not why you did that. You were holding my hand now, and it just felt right. I’ve got to be honest though, I hadn’t planned on kissing you goodbye, but when you stood there in front of me, it just seemed like the right thing to do. I watched you leave and then stood in my hallway for a while. I never believed in those movie-cliche moments where you can still feel a kiss after it’s over, but I could. You’d just answered all the questions I had left. I decided if you didn’t ask me out tonight, I was going to ask you. I was determined to make you mine.

“Andrea would you like to be my girlfriend?”

Would I like to be your girlfriend? Was that a rhetorical question? Did I really
have to answer that? I only had to say one thing before the “yes” jumped out.
Were you sure? I didn’t want you to be asking on impulse because of the kiss, but
you said you were positive. I woke up the next morning and layed there… I had
a boyfriend… I was yours.

Now, let’s rewind a little bit…

May 8th… “*puts my hands on ur waist* I wanna be wit yu forever, I kno we’ve
been dating for only 3 months but it feels longer and I like that feeling,
we could show the world how strong love can really be”

May 9th… “yes babe, I think it was love at first sight for me cus I couldn’t keep
my eyes off you”

May 10th… “*cuddles wit yu* goodnight babe I love you soo much and I hope yu
sleep well, I wanna be wit yu till the day I die, I’ll risk anythin and everythin
for yu, yur amazing to me and I’m proud to call yu my gf, I hope one day yu can
see how amazing you are to me *kisses ur lips*”

May 13th… “I kno ur better baby I can feel it, I get butterflies in my stomach when I think bout yu, see yu, hear ur voice, while I walk to ur house, I still get nervous around yu cuz I dnt wanna say or do the wrong thing to make yu mad at me, ur special to me cuz yu gave me a chance, yu gave me a chance to be happy again, yu gave me a new and better life than the one I had b4 I met yu and im in love with it and im in love with yu”

You’re still mine… Three months… 72 days have gone by. It seems like just yesterday and yet like forever. I love how comfortable I feel with you, in my own skin. You make me feel so complete. I can’t remember the last time I was this happy. I could never imagine my life without you again.

In seventeen more days, everyone who doubted us will feel like idiots. I know it’s impossible to predict the future, but it’s easy to know what you want and if you fight for it, work for it, wish for it, pray for it, stick to it, you can’t go wrong and baby, I know that I want you. I want all of you; forever.

Four years and we never knew each other… Lunch, a college bus stop and club fair brought us together three times, (even with things seperating us for extensive periods of time), you never gave up. You say it’s fate; love at first sight. I say serendipity.

Thank you for always putting a smile on my face.
For making me laugh when I wanted to cry.
For caring when everyone walked out.
For trusting in me when you wanted to give up.
For making me happy again.
For holding on to me when I wanted to run away.
For challenging me to be a better person.
For seeing me even with hundreds of other people around you.
For waiting four months for me and never giving up hope.
And soooo much more.

I love you more with every breath; I truly, madly, deeply do♥