Dear whoever you are,

By now, you understand why you are the luckiest person in the world. And no, you don’t know me. and no, I do not know you. I don’t think. Anyway, I don’t have to. That’s irrelevant. 

Don’t blow this. I swear, if there is one thing you don’t want to screw up, it’s this. So let me give you some advice, because that is the best I can do now. 

She is soft. Inside and out. Pretends it doesn’t get to her, but I can assure you it does. Don’t be an ass about things. And if you feel that familiar tension, that avoidance in her eyes that won’t look at you, sit her down. Coax the words out of her mouth, but slowly. Easily. Don’t push it. 

She is not an open book. She is in many ways the opposite of an open book. A book with a heavy padlock, with the key locked inside. And the pages are glued together, so don’t even bother trying to force entry. That’ll just make it worse. Trust me. If you want to read her, you have to wait. There’s a lot waiting involved. And you have to be honest. And then- maybe, if you’re lucky -she’ll read some out loud to you. 

She thinks she is less than she is. She is everything but. 

You have to remind her. She might not believe you, and this will be endlessly frustrating, but you have to let her know regardless. You have to keep telling her she is more than she thinks she is. Tell her she’s beautiful. Not because she’ll believe you but because you want to. Because you can’t help it. 

Support her on her art. Not just her art but her every endeavor, because I swear if you don’t then you’re not worth it. 

And I won’t lie to you. sometimes, it will be difficult. Sometimes, it will feel like no matter how hard you try, she is still hesitant. Resistant. But I can tell you that it is worth it. So much more than worth it. You will have conversations with her you’d only ever had in your head. You will realize that she understands you, that she is willing to listen, and to care. She’s just like that. 

Her favorite color is maroon. Favorite season autumn, favorite holiday halloween. Favorite song by The Smiths is Half a Person. If she could only listen to one artist for the rest of her life, it would be Michael Jackson. She has to be in the right mood to listen to The Smiths, but listening to Michael Jackson puts her in the mood for Michael Jackson. Her favorite everything is The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Book, movie, soundtrack. That’s the core of her existence. I’m not kidding. I expect you to read, watch, listen to, and love all three of those. Her favorite Pixar movies are all of them, really. But her top five are The Incredibles, Up, Monsters Inc., Ratatouille, and Wall-e. Not necessarily in that order. And she also loves Big Hero 6, but that’s not Pixar. It’s Disney. Don’t get that mixed up. Anyway, don’t take my word for all this because it could very well have changed by now. But that’s the way it used to be. 

She doesn’t like chocolate, so don’t buy her that for anniversaries or Valentine’s Days or birthdays or anything. You can do better than that, seriously. She doesn’t have a favorite flower, but if you have to buy her some get dark red ones. She likes those. She’s rather picky about food (even though she swears she’s not), so for dates make sure to take her somewhere that has fantastic chicken strips. Even if you’re going for fancy. As for presents, it has to be really good and thought out. And don’t forget a heartfelt letter. You absolutely must write her a letter. That’s a requirement. I don’t care if you’re not a writer. She isn’t either. But if you don’t, it’ll be like you didn’t get her a present at all. She hates sappy, unless it comes from you. Remember that. 

Always carry gum with you, just in case she runs out. She's addicted to the stuff. Don’t shy away from her kisses, although you’d have to be an idiot to do that, and I assume you’re not an idiot. Initiate things. Don’t make her the only one doing everything, even if you suck at those sorts of things, like me. Listen to her when she talks. I know she takes a little while to get there sometimes, but I don’t think I have to tell you how cute that is. I’m sure you already know. 

Know that you are lucky. Accept it. Don’t use it to your advantage, and don’t take it for granted. Hurt her, and I swear you will be shattered. And that’s without my help. That being said, you will never hear the end of it from me. You will never not regret it. Just don’t screw this up. Do everything you possibly can to never ever screw this up. 

Love her. Tell her you love her. Show her you mean it. Every minute of every day, always. And I swear to god, be good. Be endlessly good to her. You get to be. I don’t have to tell you how lucky you are. 

Sincerely,

My name is irrelevant.