Dear Katherine

You stole my breath

Dear Katherine,

I wonder how in the world I’m lucky enough to have you in my life, even though you don’t love me back.

     For half a year, I came up to you in the hallways just to talk to you. I would talk to you about anything, really. I learned more about you, but it wasn’t much. You told me you had siblings, but you never told me their names. And you told me you liked to read books, and make crafts and eat pizza. But other than that, the only things I knew about you were the same things that everyone knew about you—your age and what you looked like.

     And come to think, I spent half a year trying to get to know you! Once a day, five times a week, for six months. And that was all I got.

     “So what’s your full name?” I had asked you one day. I was walking you to class, which was a first.

     You hugged your textbooks in front of you. “Katherine Elizabeth Dawson.”

     “Middle name?”

     “Hoges,” you replied. “I know, it’s weird.”

     “No, it’s… okay.” You chuckled and we got to your classroom and you waved goodbye at me and the whole walk to my classroom, I kept saying your name in my head.

     Katherine Elizabeth Hoges Dawson…

     Katherine Elizabeth Hoges Dawson…

     Katherine Elizabeth Hoges Dawson…

     And the next day, you wore a floral shirt and beige capri pants and your hair was in a ponytail and you looked absolutely beautiful. Really, you were.

     To some people, you were just some normal girl with normal clothes with a normal hairstyle. But not to me, Kath. To me, you were the most breathtaking creature within fifty miles.

     I remember even until now because those were the exact words that came to my head when I saw you that morning.

     And I came up to you again like I always did, and you smiled expectantly at me. And I had instantly felt very self-conscious. “G’morning,” you told me.

     “Morning. So, uh, listen… school’s almost ending and next year, I—we—canIhaveyournumber?”

     You laughed, and I almost forgot how to breathe. I loved the sound of your laugh. I had decided that it was my favorite sound in the whole entire world. And your face completely transformed into one of a happy, innocent girl. And I just wanted to stroke your hair and hug you. But I couldn’t.

     “Just add me on facebook and I’ll PM you my number,” you had told me. I merely nodded because I was too busy staring at you. And then you waved goobye when the bell rang and I stood there, replaying your laugh over and over again in my head.

     You always left me breathless. You still do, actually. And I just wished I had a camera so that I could capture every single one of your smiles and film every single one of your laughs.

     Or maybe I just wanted to be with you forever so that I wouldn’t go one day without seeing you smile.

     If only you would be mine forever.

     I know I’m yours forever.

     Forever yours,

     Jonathan.

     ^^See?