Today was Friday, February 14th. Valentine’s Day. I stood on the corner of Vicarage street, staring across the street. Others passed by me, giving me strange looks. I ignored, or maybe I just didn’t notice them. I was too focused on the boy across the street. He was tall and lanky, with a slim torso. His hair was unbelievably messy and his nose curved in an abnormal way. I recognized him immediately as a memory surfaced in my mind.

Thirteen years ago. I was ten years old, having a slumber party with my best friend, Magnolia. We were both really into art and sat across from each other, a notepad in our laps and a pencil in our hands. “What should we draw?” I had asked. Magnolia smiled at me. “I don’t know. Maybe you should draw the boy of your dreams.~” she had purred. I smiled, having been oblivious. “Okay!” I had chirped and began drawing. When I finished, I’d showed the drawing to Magnolia had had a confused look on her face. “It’s really bad.” I’d chuckled. I’d put the notepad away and we’d continued our night.

I’d still kept that picture, though. I had no idea where that drawing was now, of course, but I know I’d kept it. Around that time, I’d had different points of views. Magnolia had thought the boy in that drawing was incredulously hideous. I had thought he was perfect.

Ten years later, though a few things had changed, I was still the same girl. I was the same bubbly little girl with a love for art. I was that same fun-loving girl who’d paid her mother four pennies for breaking her mother’s favorite vase when she was six. I was still that same girl who thought that the boy in that drawing was perfect.

This boy across the street, in the scraggly white t-shirt, leaning against the light pole and staring down at his phone. This was him. I don’t know how or why it was so, but he had become a person. I felt my heartbeat quicken as I looked at him. I don’t know if it was from fear or surprise, simply because of his existence, or happiness. He didn’t know who I was, or maybe he did. Maybe he wasn’t the actual drawing of the boy and this was a coincidence, or maybe it wasn’t. There were many possibilities and many outcomes of this moment, but I knew one thing.

Fate had brought me here. Fate put me on the corner of this street, staring in awe at some strange-looking boy across the street from me, and earning weird looks from others around me. Others, except him. I felt so many things in this moment; surprise, awe, excitement, love.

Then, the boy looked up and around. He stopped when he saw me. Our eyes met and as I stared into his sky blue eyes, he smiled.

This was the beginning. The beginning of something beautiful.