Open the story

Dear

Aanya,

Today belongs to you.

— from Rohan

Dear Aanya,

On your birthday, I keep thinking about all the small ways you make life feel brighter. The laugh that arrives before the story is finished. The care you put into ordinary things. The way being with you makes even a quiet evening feel like somewhere I want to stay.

I hope you know that you do not have to earn being celebrated. Not by doing more, being stronger, or having every answer. You deserve love in the middle of figuring things out, on your good days and your uncertain ones, exactly as you are.

Thank you for letting me be part of your life. I hope this next year brings you beautiful surprises, the courage to follow what matters to you, and plenty of time for the things that make your eyes light up. I am so glad the world has you. I am even more glad that I get to know you.

A fictional woman laughing with her partner at home
you, exactly as you are

I still notice the way you make room for everyone else.

A fictional couple laughing together across two chairs
the conversation that made us forget the time
A fictional couple smiling together on a couch
you making an ordinary afternoon feel like enough

There are versions of me that only exist because you believed in them first.

A fictional couple laughing together during a movie night
the film neither of us actually watched
A fictional couple relaxing together in their living room
the quiet days I never want to take for granted
A fictional couple sharing a tablet and laughing at home
one more story we somehow made funnier together

A little more

I wanted you to hear this part.

from Rohan

Happy birthday. I hope this year brings you a little adventure, laughter that stays with you, and people who make you feel at home.

a line worth keeping

Happy birthday, Aanya.