Dear _____,

First and foremost, I want to let you in on a little secret: I dream of you adoring me. Maybe this isn’t as big of a secret as I think, maybe every time you lay eyes on me you can see this undying dream of your affection within me. Maybe it’s written in my eyes and why you stare so long into them is because you are trying to read what it says. Or maybe it’s all in my imagination…

I would like to say, “Screw my imagination!” but honestly I can’t. So much of my affection for you lies in that imagination. I fantasize about us all the time. What would I do without the ability to imagine your face whenever you are not around? ’Cause I do that. All the time.

So, to put it frankly, I like you. I lie sleepless at night thinking of you: thinking of the two of us; making up conversation we’ll probably never end up having. I lie in bed and my heart even starts racing when I think of you! How crazy is that? It beats so hard and fast it makes me think of an angry little drummer boy being stuck inside my chest. It beats the same way when I see you, and we speak. When I awkwardly try to keep conversation and smile at the same time. This is difficult, you know! I try to smile enough for it to be a smile, to show how happy I am to be talking to you, but also not too wide ’cause then you’ll see my crazy teeth. And maybe the remnants of school lunch. You never know when “awkward salad mouth” might strike.

Sometimes I think I am just a silly teen girl with a silly crush, but then I see you walk down the hall and a warm sensation starts spreading throughout my body. Every time I see your face, I get all silly and happy and my cheeks flush. I can’t deny that. That can’t be silly. The way my heart pounds in my chest, it’s got to be real. So that’s why I’m writing to you. I just want you to know what your charming presence does to me.

So, now you know my secret. Are you surprised? Or was it already blatantly obvious that I have a massive thing for you? Anyways, the next time you see me give me a wink or something. And then my heart will beat even quicker than before. OK?

See you,

L

—By Lykke-Linn A., 18, Sweden