Her saying that moved something in me. It lit up a part of my heart that's never been touched. I said, "I genuinely didn't expect you to feel the same way..."

There was a moment where I just stared at the screen, watching the three little dots coming from Ria appear and disappear wondering if it was the right moment for her to say something.

I continued, "I've never done this before. I've never tried long distance... but I'd rather try it and risk it with you than not try at all." Ria replied, "Are you sure... Milo, Are you sure you want me?" Without hesitation, I said, "You were everything I ever asked for."

"Ria... I want you. Please, can my heart be yours?" 

For a moment, she paused, then her reply lit up my screen.

"Okay, Let's do this. I'm all in, if you are."

I said, "Just for you. I'm all in just for you."

And in that moment, even with the miles and comets between us, a brighter star has been born. It felt like we were at the same place, right next to each other, I didn't feel so far away from her.

My heart, my entire soul felt vulnerable. I haven't felt this emotional in a while. I said, "Ria... I'm really happy. I'm happy I get to do this with you. You make me the happiest boy on this planet suspended in our endless universe. I'm excited to see where this goes and just know that no matter what, I will do everything I can to be perfect for you, whether it's to change, to adjust, anything. You deserve this. You deserve it all."

I kept rereading my message multiple times, letting it sink in, just thinking about how far this connection has already come.

"You feel like home Ria, that warm, perfect home."

The chat went silent after that message.

I sat there, waiting, watching. No reply, no "Typing..." bubble. Just... pure silence. I stared at the screen, backreading the heartwarming chat we just had, then I wondered if I overdone it. Was it too much for her?

The night passes by in a blink of an eye...

But then, the next morning, as I was waiting for my class, my phone buzzed.

Ria, out of nowhere, said, "OH MY GOSH, I'M SO SORRY! I FELL ASLEEP MIDWAY THROUGH YOUR MESSAGE." 

I laughed, probably louder than I should have, still half asleep, smiling at my phone.

I typed back, "So... you're saying I poured my heart out... and you just faceplanted into your pillow? thats so romantic Riri."

She replied instantly, "NO! don't make it sound like that, stop. I swear I was reading and I just wanted to rest my eyes then suddenly... it's morning..."

I couldn't stop smiling. This. This right here is what made it so special.

It wasn't just the deep talks or that overly sweet late night confessions. It was realness, our realness at its finest. The way she could knock out mid love letter and somehow make it the cutest thing ever. 

I said, "You're lucky I find that adorable, otherwise I'd be dramatically heartbroken, writing 365 letters, renovating a mansion with a playlist full of sad boy songs and rain sound effects."

She sent back a heartbreak and a sobbing emoji, followed by, "Too late Milo. You're already mine. Now go write those 365 letters with a playlist full of sad boy songs about how I'm such a diva drooling in my sleep."

She felt closer than ever. It was messy, imperfect, a little ridiculous.

And I wouldn't change a single thing.

The weekend was finally here once again, no more alarms, no half asleep replies between classes and courses, just that kind of morning where time moved slower when I was finally hers.

I rolled over in bed, with a messy hair, puffy eyes, my phone buzzed. I knew who it was going to be because no one else would send me a message at this time. 

'Ria sent a photo'

I instantly smiled, suddenly, my sleepiness went away. She sent a selfie and a few videos of herself. She showed how 'messy' she looked when she wakes up from a long sleep. Hair all messy, puffy eyes, just like me. My heart softened as my face warms up. I love how comfortable we both already were with each other. She was adorable, no matter how bad she made herself looked, she was always going to be the prettiest girl in my eyes.

I looked at her picture once again, for some reason, a song popped in my head. She mentioned a few nights ago when we were talking about music, there was this artist we both knew that always made her feel like floating. I remembered how she got all quiet when she said it, Almost as if it was a big top secret. I casually put one of her songs on my Instagram note, 'Dear Soulmate - Laufey'.

That gave me an idea. I opened spotify and started putting together a playlist, just for her. Every song had a reason. Like that one track she would send because it's stuck in her head, the song I had playing in the background the night we first talked for five hours, even that song that I found so emotional when she found it oddly joyful.

I named the playlist: 'Flourescent Love'

It was perfect. I feel like it portrayed our love perfectly. Out of nowhere, our love bloomed beautifully, like a field of tulips in the middle of spring. We were miles apart, but hearts intertwined.