HAPPY BIRTHDAY โจ
For the girl who changed everything.
Happy Birthday, Rukky.
The first time I held your hand. I didn't want to let go. I still don't.
You looked at me like that across the table and I forgot what I was trying to say.
You fell asleep studying. I watched you and thought: this is the person I want beside me for every exam, every late night, every hard season.
That half-smile. That drink. That light in your eyes. The exact moment I knew I was done for.
Look at you. Glowing. Holding roses that don't come close to how beautiful you are. Happy birthday, my love.
Dear Rukky,
There is a version of my life where I never met you. I think about that person sometimes, and I feel sorry for him. He was walking around not knowing what was missing, which is the saddest kind of missing there is.
You make the ordinary feel like ceremony. A shared meal. Taking a stroll together going nowhere in particular. Falling asleep over calls at 3am and pretending we're not exhausted. With you, even the unremarkable becomes something I want to remember.
You are the most effortlessly beautiful, quietly strong, stupidly funny person I have ever had the privilege of knowing. And on the days when you don't see that in yourself, I will be here, saying it again, saying it louder, saying it for as long as it takes.
I built this because words on a screen felt bigger than words in the air. Because you deserve something you can return to on hard days and be reminded: you are so deeply loved.
Happy birthday, Rukky. Thank you for existing.
Yours, always โค