It all started in 1990, when a 17-year-old German exchange student walked into an American high school and met a 15-year-old girl. We had an instant crush - but being young, shy, and utterly clueless, we never actually said anything. One of us remembers wishing the other would ask her to prom - the only year she didn’t go - while the other had absolutely no idea what prom even was (classic exchange-student oversight). One thing that did stick, though, was a Twinkie brought to school one day and offered as a simple gift. Out of all the grand American experiences - baseball, diners, drive-in movies - that small gesture somehow made the biggest impression. At the end of the school year, a note appeared in a yearbook: “If you would come to Germany, I’ll be waiting for you. See you there. Love you.” Then life rolled the credits on that first act. We lost touch. There was no email, no texting, no social media - just two teenagers who went their separate ways. A few years later, there was even a return trip to the U.S., but by then, the timing was off again. In 2010, Facebook quietly reconnected us. A message here, a birthday greeting there. For years, our connection played in the background, like a song we both knew but never finished - always friendly, always familiar, always carrying a quiet what if. Fast-forward to New Year’s Eve 2023. A photo was posted - and within minutes, there was a comment, proving that patience and social media stalking occasionally pay off. One comment led to another, and soon we were talking every day - like the years in between had never happened. By April 2024, we were finally face to face again. After 33 years, the story picked up exactly where it left off - same spark, new chapter. And on a beautiful, sun-drenched day while floating down the Seine in Paris, the question was asked - the one we both already knew the answer to. Some stories don’t end - they just wait for the right chapter to begin again. And after all these years, we can finally say— See you there. 💛