flashback.

exactly one year and several hours ago, i made, quite possibly, the best decision ever.

i met a really great boy, who became my very best friend instantly. we stayed up late talking pretty much every night, we hung out every day, and i was closer to him than i had ever been to a friend. i kind of thought he had a crush on me. to which all my other friends responded "duh."
i felt terrible, because i was interested in someone else, who wasn't really ever that nice to me. and my newfound best friend was always there when i felt sad.
one night, 27 october 2006, this friend of mine came to visit me at my dad's house. one of my friends had a crush on one of his friends, so we brought some people together to see if sparks could fly. my two friends were going to meet us somewhere, so to kill time the boys & i went to the coffee house nearby. we all laughed and drank and i sat there thinking "these boys are awesome. and look at him, he is my best friend!! i love him so much!" and i really did. at that moment, i was so in love with that boy.
eventually we met up with the girls, and it was decided to watch a movie at someone's house. because we are all mature high school students, and it was only october, the clear decision for a movie was elf. we all sat around in the tv room, and i sat next to the boy. he put his arm around my shoulder and kissed the top of my head. which, by the way, is still the most adorable thing he's ever done. and at that moment, i pulled out my phone and sent a text message to maddie, who was actually sitting in front of me.
"i think i want to kiss tom. "
"do it!! you guys are so cute & he likes you so much."
"i'll think about it."
pretty soon, it was time for the boys to go back home. they drove me back to my dad's house, and being the nicest boy in the world, tom walked me to the door. we stood looking at each other for a few seconds, and he said "well, have a good night."
"come here."
i stood on my toes, put my hands on his face, and totally laid one on him.
i stepped back.
smiling more, he said it again. "have a good night."
"you too." smooch. "night!"

the next several months consisted of one or the other of us not knowing if this is what we wanted, blah blah blah, let's complicate our lives more than necessary, blah blah.
but through all the stupidity and confusion, i loved him more every single day.
and he's remained my best friend.
eventually, the realization hit us both that we hate being apart, and that there couldn't be anyone in the world better suited for either of us.

and with that, i'm gonna go celebrate my anniversary.