My best friend

To Sophia, my best friend ever

Hey Sophia,

Remember the first time we met? Sticky hands, chipped front teeth, and a shared fascination with the police books in our first-grade classroom? Eight years, countless finger paints, and enough cafeteria mystery meat to fuel a small army later, here we are, still joined at the hip like two mismatched puzzle pieces.

Being cops' kids, life was a kaleidoscope of flashing lights, whispered secrets, and the occasional fingerprinting session in the living room (thanks to your mom's criminology obsession). We were the peanut butter and jelly of the playground, your sharp wit and boundless curiosity paired perfectly with my knack for getting stuck in trees and eating my broccoli in record time (a feat you still marvel at).

Remember that time we snuck into the precinct's evidence room to see the "real" stuff? We ended up locked there. We emerged with a shared thrill and a lecture (plus pain)  from your parents, who, despite their professions, seemed perpetually surprised by our knack for finding trouble.

(I'm not going to mention the time when you at age 8 hid your hairbrush in the oven because you got a note home from school, and it melted in the oven. I also won't mention the time when you drank a whole bottle of soap and needed to get your stomach pumped, at least you rarely got your mouth washed out haha)

Our childhood was a tapestry woven with inside jokes, secret handshakes, and countless sleepovers fueled by whispered dreams and stolen candy bars (Just from our parents, we aren't shoplifters. We aren't that stupid). We were the first to witness each other's awkward growth spurts, the confidantes of first crushes and scraped knees, the champions of each other's triumphs and the shoulders to cry on when life threw its curveballs.

Sure, there were embarrassing moments. You still blush when I bring up the time you tripped in the school play, sending you flying into the arms of the boy you had a crush on. And who can forget the popsicle incident? The one where I, in a moment of sugar-fueled enthusiasm, accidentally dyed our tongues blue, much to my amusement and your mortification? We still laugh about it, the memory a warm ember glowing in the embers of our friendship.

But through it all, you've been my anchor, my compass, my partner in crime (literally and figuratively, thanks to that time we borrowed my dad's patrol car for a "joyride" around the block, they still don't know about that and I'd like to keep it that way for the sake of my ass). You've seen me at my best and worst, my hair in a rat's nest and my heart in tatters, and you've never judged, always offering a hand to pull me up and a smile to chase away the shadows.

Soph, here's the truth I've held in my heart for longer than I care to admit. Our friendship, this tapestry woven with eight years of shared moments, has blossomed into something deeper, something I can no longer ignore. The way your eyes light up when you talk about your dreams, the warmth of your hand in mine, the way my heart skips a beat every time you walk into a room... they're not just bits of friendship anymore. They're the whispers of a love that's taken root, a love that's grown silently in the fertile soil of our shared history.

So, on this birthday, as you blow out the candles on your cake, I want you to know that you're not just the best friend a guy could ask for. You're the sunshine in my day, the moon in my night, the air I breathe. You're the reason my heart beats a little faster, the laughter that chases away the blues. You're the one I dream about, the one I long for, the one I love.

This isn't just a dedication, Soph. It's a confession of my heart, a declaration of the love that's bloomed from the seeds of our friendship. Whether you feel the same way or not, know that you hold a place in my heart no one else ever could, I understand if you don't feel the same way.

You are the Juliet to my Romeo.

Happy birthday, my dearest friend

Yours always,

Jairo

P.S. Don't worry, I've learned from my popsicle mistake. This time, I brought you a birthday cake that won't dye your tongue blue... probably.