There she is, Winter Kim.

Student Body Vice President, member of the school's choral, campus sweetheart, a role model and everyone's crush.

including mine.

I've been crushing on her since middle school. Heck she was my gay awakening. Little naive 12-year-old me may have just thought of it as a simple admiration but 17-year-old me now knows better.

I am down bad for her.

As usual I was busy admiring her from my table at the back of our classroom when a piece of crumpled paper hit my head.

"You'll creep her out with how hard you're staring at her Rina."

"Pfft she's been doing it for years Ning. I wonder when our friend will ever have the courage to just talk to her" my seatmates snickered at me.

Here they go again, my best friends Ningning and Giselle making fun of me and my coward .

"Easy for you to say. You all know half the student body has a crush on her and all half of them got shot down when they confessed."

Yup, even though Winter is one of the campus sweethearts she is also known as an ice princess. Been breaking hearts from left to right.

"Point taken but seriously Rina you've been looking at her like a love-struck puppy for years. Have you ever thought of just I dunno, talking to her?"

Giselle put down the book she was reading and faced my direction.

"Gi's right you know, you'll never know if you don't try Rina and please stop saying it’s just a happy crush. No one's happy crush lasts for years"
Ning nudged my arm on the other side to cut my train of thoughts. I was zoning out; I didn't even notice our teacher was already in front starting her roll call.

I can't help but look at where Winter's seating at, looking comfortable and focused on what our teacher's saying.
Right then and there Ningning's word played back in my mind, I will never know if I don't try...

but I'm such a coward I just know that I won't be able to approach you, Winter. I'll just let destiny play out, I guess.

Just then I realized something.

As if I have chance on her.

It’s been days but the thoughts of confessing my feelings to Winter never left my mind. I know I told myself that I will let destiny play out but subconsciously I've been thinking of ways to do it.
Why am I even stressing myself over an impending heartache? Get a grip Karina, as if Winter feels the same way you dumdum.

"Arghhhhh"
I can't help but take my frustration on one of my plush toys, throwing it at the wall but of course it hit my desk instead making my collection of messages in a bottle rattle.
"You are such a klutz; just how can you be so unlucky?" I was muttering nonsense while making my way to my desk, still bum with everything that has been going on.

I started fixing the mess that is my desk and picked the plushie that cause it. Yes, I'm blaming this all on a plushie.

I was squishing the life out of it when one bottle caught my eye. It’s an old mason jar with a worn-out piece of paper inside, the cap was a bit dusty, and it was a bit of a struggle to open. I took the worn-out piece of paper inside letting out a laugh when I recognized it.

It was my dad’s letter to my mom.

Their love story is probably one of the most cliché ones out there. Something you can even read on books and see of movies, but it is special. Their story made me believe in love; it defined my understanding of love. I guess it’s also the reason why I'm such a er for romance.

My parents were childhood friends, neighbors even. They've known each other since they were kids, started dating when they were in high school, and got married after college. Just how cliché is that? It feels like a story out of the internet but what topped it of was how my dad proposed to my mom.

He wrote his proposal and put the letter on a bottle. He then took my mom to a walk by the beach where he placed the bottle by the sands, acting as if they just found a random bottle with a message inside and the rest is history. Every time I hear this story, I feel both amazed and cringed but just like what Dad always say,

well, it worked out fine cause in the end I got your mom to say yes.”

I was just about to put back the letter in when an idea hit me. This way I can finally let out my feelings for Winter but also stay within the comfort of knowing I'm not forcing anything and still letting destiny decide its course.

​​​​​​Again, as if I have a chance in the first place, but I do feel like a heavy load was off my chest. Smiling like an idiot as I start to look for a piece of paper and a pen.

It was almost 4pm by the time I was done, looks like I will have to drive fast if I want to make it to the beach by sunset.
With a mason jar in hand, I mad