Has it really been.

Last year, around this time, Parker and I first met. It was a bit of a messy meeting—confused by boys and odd misunderstandings—but I wouldn't trade it for the world, any of it.

We met at Rocky Horror. This was before I actually joined the E Street cast but I'd been a good handful of times. We'd each planned to go with friends, but were more or abandoned at the last minute.

I was in good spirits. The parade had been fun, the night was young, I hadn't been to Rocky in much too long. I'd just bought a hotdog and flirted/caught up some with an old friend, when I turned and saw Parker just sitting to the side watching about with his trademark childlikeness—that hopeful, open, soft look of possible adventure.

I was feeling unusually confident and he was hot/cute/there so I said hey and we got to talking. I soon found out he'd never been to Rocky—a virgin! >:-D—and had also been ditched, so naturally I took him under my wing.

Later came the rockier bits, but i'll omit them. There's nicer things to muse on.

Life can be such a funny, sweet little thug sometimes. For all the flights and feats of fancy, all the inventions and drama, all the effort and forcing, all the padlocks and resentment and complication, sometimes some of the most important things van happen without your even realizing it.

Sometimes life really is that simple, incidental, even accidental.

I certainly didn't know it when I met Parker that he'd become possible the best and closest and most special friends I could have hoped for.

I was trying to impress other friendships (I still do). I was spending so much effort trying to force people to like me, to notice me and like me, to open up and let me in as easily as I'd let them in.

And then I meet Parker and it just....happens with him. We may bicker and fight, but our friendship itself has never been a fight. It just happens, it just is, like a boulder or a fact. We can't really dispute it.

I love this goofy dumbo; we've done so much for eachother. Someone to rely on, someone to talk to, someone to trust. It's a precious thing, and I am so, so grateful :-)