On a bright spring day four years ago, I woke up rather chirpy and excited for our first mountain hike of the year. The weather had been getting warmer and we’d been going out a lot since the New Year. Our conversations had become longer, day trips went farther and my heart started feeling happier each passing day. The hike was fun and refreshing. The trees looked vibrant and lush and the weather was too good to be true. Your company, as always, was the best part of it. A few hours after parting ways, you asked me to meet you again in the convenience store across my apartment. There you asked point blank “I’m really happy with you. I would like to be your boyfriend.” Huh. Where were the mind games? The mixed signals? I was stunned, more than anything, that a confession could sound so simple and yet so sincere. In the next 60 seconds, I thought about my student visa, our language barrier, different nationalities and all the obvious reasons why this would never work. But then, I also thought about our great friendship. I knew I found another lifelong friend in you. Knowing that they don’t make gentle, well-mannered, honest and smart men like you these days, I thought that I’d be foolish to reject the chance to be loved and treasured by this gentle soul even for a short time. I was so sure that you would never break my heart even if this would end. I can still remember that loud and nagging voice in my head telling me to be brave of the unknown and take this chance once and for all.