The summer technically was drawing to a close but San Lorenzo got no less hot or humid. Even at ten o'clock in the morning beads of sweat were already starting to form on Arnold's forehead. He barely noticed though. After almost two years in the tropics, Arnold was more than used to the heat. The small house that he lived in with his parents didn't have A/C so he grew used to it being hot and humid constantly. Then again, it didn't hurt that Hillwood could have pretty brutal summers too.
After taking a moment to appreciate the view outside his window, Arnold got out of bed, dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, and went to his parents' room.
"Mom? Dad? You up?" He whispered softly.
But as usual his parents' bed was already made and empty. Arnold sighed in mild disappointment, but he couldn't say he was surprised. Like him, his parents were restless spirits and were usually gone before he woke up. They always made a point to be back before sundown though so he couldn't complain. It wasn't like he didn't have plans though.
The doorbell rang cutting through the silence of the empty house. Arnold went to answer it and opened the door to find a petit brunette with long curly hair and a deep tan waiting on the other side. Like Arnold, she wore shorts and a tank top.
"Morning!" Amber smiled brightly. "Sorry I'm late."
"More like I'm late." Arnold chuckled. "I kinda just woke up."
Amber giggled with a small shake of her head. "I don't understand how you do that. It's like a sauna in my house."
"Mine isn't much better." Arnold stepped aside to let her in. "Want some breakfast before we head out?"
"Ugh, yes please."
Arnold smiled and followed her into the kitchen. He met Amber a few weeks ago when her family moved in the next village over. They hit it off pretty quickly, constantly hanging out with the other kids or by themselves. There wasn't much of a high school out here, so they and a couple of other locals would be taught in the same homeschool group come fall.
"So how was your grandfather's farm?" Arnold asked as he rifled through the cabinets for granola bars and fruit.
"It was fine. Would have been more fun with you there though." Amber replied sweetly.
Arnold shot her a smile over his shoulder. "Well I'm here now."
"Yep." Amber's smile grew sweeter. "Just you and me today."
Arnold made his way back to the table with breakfast in hand and sat across from her. He felt comfortable and relaxed with her. She was sweet, fun to be around, smart. To be honest, they were sort of more than just friends, but it hadn't quite reached the point where they were officially dating. Arnold wasn't so much in a hurry. Even though he was sixteen and Amber was a pretty cute girl, there wasn't a big spark between them.
"So…" Arnold started carefully, "I was thinking that maybe after breakfast we could head by the stream?"
Amber nodded eagerly. "Yeah, that sounds great. It'll be nice and quiet this time of day. Maybe even sort of romantic."
Her hazel eyes were soft as she smiled at him and Arnold found himself smiling back despite the nervous twinge in his stomach. He wasn't trying to lead Amber on by any means, but she was clearly trying to get somewhere that Arnold wasn't entirely sure he wanted to go.
Before Arnold could respond either way the doorbell rang once again.
"Give me one sec." Arnold lightly touched Amber's hand before leaving the table to answer the door.
"Mr. Shortman?" The mailman asked holding out a thickly stuffed envelop covered in stamps.
"Yes, but it's probably for my dad." Arnold said taking it. He thanked the mailman and headed back into the kitchen, throwing the mail onto the table without a second thought. "Ready to go Amber?"
She nodded and stood up but paused when she glanced down at the envelop. "Well aren't you going to open it? It looks pretty important."
"Probably another request for my parents to speak to some college students." Arnold shrugged carelessly.
"But… it has your name on it."
Arnold blinked in confusion and picked the envelop back up. When he saw the name above the return address, his heart nearly stopped. Helga G. Pataki. Her name was written in thick letters with a slanted hand.
"Arnold, Arnold?" He heard Amber call his name distantly. "Are you okay? Is something wrong?"
"No." A large grin split across Arnold's face. "Just the opposite."
He looked up and realized that Amber was still standing there waiting for him. "Um, sorry Amber but I've literally been waiting years for this to come. I'm going to have to see you tomorrow."
"Oh," Amber's smile fell, but Arnold barely noticed. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?"
"Yeah tomorrow," He mumbled already distracted by Helga's name. "Tomorrow."
He barely noticed her leave as he headed back to his room and shut the door. He didn't even want his parents to disturb him while he read Helga's letter. The envelop felt almost heavy in his hands as Arnold sat on his bed with it in his lap. When Arnold first moved to San Lorenzo he wrote Helga a letter almost every other day for a year without a single letter in return. But Arnold kept writing, even though the frequency changed to a more weekly basis. In the back of his mind he had always hoped that Helga would write him back. Arnold had just begun to lose hope and was worried that Helga had forgotten all about him.
"She didn't forget me," Arnold grinned and began opening the envelop. "I just knew Helga didn't forget me."
"I can't believe I'm actually thinking about sending this letter." The letter began, "Do I even have the right to send this letter?"
"Of course you do," Arnold answered out loud. A small smile played on his lips. "Why do you think I wrote you so much?"
He kept reading,
"Anyways, before I say/write anything else I want you to know that I didn't just ignore your letters. As a matter of fact, I wrote you every single day I just never sent them out. I don't care if you believe me or not, but I did."
Arnold chuckled. Even in letter form he could hear the defensive tone in Helga's voice that he knew so well.
"Also, I guess I owe you an apology for not writing you back at all. This will sound like a lame excuse but I was still coming to grips with the fact that you were gone. That things had changed and wasn't the same anymore." There was another line written but it had been roughly scratched out. "Sorry, I told myself that I wouldn't throw away another sheet of paper so I might cross things out here and there. If you're still reading this and haven't thrown it away, I guess I'll get to the point and tell you what's been going on with me while you've been away."
Arnold stopped reading for a moment to brace himself for what was next. He hadn't seen or heard from Helga in almost three years. The two of them had suffered a messy break up a year before he left and avoided each other all through seventh grade. It had hurt him not to know what was going on in Helga's life, but he also knew that they both needed space. But Arnold had missed Helga, and wanted to know everything about her.
"I cut my hair." Helga wrote. "All of it. Down to my ears. Peter Pan pixie style. No real reason why, I guess I was just ready for a new look for Sophomore year. Olga actually cried. Blubbered like a baby. Her acting career has seriously gotten to her head because she is such a drama queen."
Closing his eyes, Arnold tried to picture it, but was so used to her pig tails that he couldn't. Did it make her look older or younger? Did she keep her pink bow, switch to a new accessory, or keep her hair plain?
"I bet it looks beautiful." Arnold whispered opening his eyes again with a small smile. "Maybe I can ask her to send me a picture."
"I'm not sending you a picture so don't even think about it, buster." He could practically hear Helga laugh. "My dad actually got pissed. Asked me why in the world did I hack it all off for. Even Pheebs thought it was drastic. But I don't care what anyone thinks. It's cool and easy to manage. The summer in Hillwood was brutal this year, but I bet heat doesn't even bother you now Mr. Jungle Boy."
Arnold laughed and continued to read. She came through so strong in every word she wrote that it was almost as if she were in the room with him. Next, Helga talked about what their friends were up to. Harold was using his size to his advantage by joining the football team. Curly had somehow found a small group of people who shared his… "quirky" personality and terrorized the school together. "Found a merry band of freaks" was how Helga actually put it. And Phoebe and Gerald had their first major fight but had gotten over it and become the perfect couple again. There had been another line after that but Helga had scratched it out.
"I'm pretty sure Gerald already told you all about his love life so there's no need for me to waste my time telling you about it too." Helga wrote after that. "I know he tells it to the school. Sorry, rambling again. Writing is usually super easy for me, but knowing that you might be reading this… Anyways, competing with Gerald for player of the year award is of course Rhonda. I swear she's going to give herself a hernia trying to keep herself the center of every guy's universe without fully committing."
Arnold rolled his eyes. Gerald did mention in a few of his letters how he was being martyred by Phoebe unjustly because a "few" girls took interest in him. Completely unwarranted of course.
"I guess everyone is kind of like that now though." Helga continued. "Dating is becoming more and more a serious thing and now there isn't much common courtesy when it comes to people flirting with you when you're already taken. Even yours truly was been approached by a couple of completely not single douche bags for a 'good time' as they put it. Weird because I'm usually a guy repellent."
The paper crunched as Arnold's grip tightened on it. He didn't know what he hated more, Helga calling herself a guy repellent or the thought of douche bag guys even having the nerve to approach her without the upmost good intentions. Even from thousands of miles away Arnold still felt the need to protect his friend.
"So I guess that's about it. You aren't missing much but everyone definitely misses you. Even me. So… maybe I might actually send you another one of these. Maybe. Whether I do or don't, I hope you're still doing well. Helga."
Arnold reread the last part of the letter before setting it down and hunting around for some paper and a pen.
Dear Helga,
You have no idea how happy I am that you finally did decide to send me a letter. I really miss you too. I can't believe you cut your hair! I've never seen it out much but still. Are you sure I can't have just one picture? Pretty please?
Things out here are still pretty good. We actually move every few months depending on where my parents are needed. The kids out here are pretty nice, they tend to come and go though. I think that's one of the things I miss most about Hillwood, seeing all of my friends every day. By the time you get this letter school will probably be back in session over there. Here, there isn't much of a public high school but a bunch of local kids get together for a sort of group homeschooling by a tutor. It's pretty hot and humid here year round so there isn't much of a fall or winter here, but instead there's a rainy season. Last rainy season my parents and I actually had to relocate because of the flooding. There isn't much else going on that I haven't told you already but as always I will be definitely writing you again. But now I actually get to look forward to hearing back from you. If you still want to write me that is. Until then, always, I'll be thinking about you. Arnold.
Arnold sent out his letter as soon as the mailman made his weekly round, but three weeks passed and there was nothing from Helga. Two from his grandparents, three from Gerald, but nothing from Helga. Needless to say he was disappointed, but accepted it. He was glad enough to have at least one letter from Helga and kept it in a safe place to always be able to read it.
Eventually "school" started and three times a week Arnold walked with Amber and a couple of others to meet their tutor. The other days he devoted his time to helping out his parents or hanging around the village. After a particularly hot and humid day, he and Amber and a new kid named Marcus were walking back to Arnold's place to do their homework. Thankfully the A/C was actually working and Arnold's mom was even home with fresh baked lemon squares waiting for them. The three of the sat around the kitchen table eating them while Stella did the dishes.
"Mrs. Shortman, these are the most amazing things I have ever eaten." Marcus praised her with his mouth full. "What did you put in these?"
"Let's see…orange zest, cane sugar, and a touch of thyme." Stella answered with a smile. "Oh and Arnold, before I forget, you got a letter while you were out. It's from Helga."
"Helga!?" Arnold jumped up from his chair so fast that it actually tipped over. "Where is it? Can I have it?"
"Hold on, hold on, I have it right here." Stella laughed as she casually dried her hands on the dish towel then reached into her pocket for the letter. "You act as if absolutely no one writes you."
"Not her." Arnold whispered with a small smile on his face and immediately ripped open the envelop to read it.
"Dear Arnold," Helga's letter started. "Bet you thought I wouldn't be writing you again did you? But fortunately for you I was feeling generous enough to tell you more about what's going on with my mundane life. School started again which is why it took me so long to write you again. Phoebe talked me into to taking a couple of AP classes which she said could help me save money on actual college tuition and boost my college applications. Usually I would make a joke about you being homeschooled but that actually sounds nice compared to this zoo. It finally happened, Rhonda, the princess of flirting, "accidentally" got herself involved with a senior with a very nasty girlfriend. Remember when Patti wanted to beat me up in fourth grade? Multiply that times a thousand. And she wasn't just looking to chew Rhonda out or intimidate her, this chick was looking for a bonafide cat fight complete with claws. If it wasn't for me bringing Ol' Betsy out of retirement, Rhonda would have had her face scratched out. As it ended up, I was the one to get the scratches in face and a day's suspension for fighting. Good news though, Rhonda is now practically groveling at my feet for saving her face and my reputation as a bad ace still holds strong. Even Big Bob was proud of me if you can believe it. Called me his little hell-raiser. The girlfriend's father tried to sue for her broken nose and black eye but my dad shut that down quickly."
Arnold chuckled out loud even as he shook his head. Of course Helga would not only get involved with someone else's fight, but practically ignore being suspended on focus on her reputation instead. Ignoring his friends and homework, he pulled out his notebook and started immediately writing her back.
Dear Helga,
Even though I am proud of you for standing up for Rhonda, please don't make getting into fights a habit. Your reputation isn't worth getting suspended from school or getting hurt. It sounds like you and your dad are getting along better which is great. How is the rest of your family? Did Olga cry when she heard you got into a fight? Sorry if I'm asking too many questions, I just want to hear absolutely everything. That's cool that you're taking AP classes, I was thinking about taking some but I get so busy out here helping out with my parents that I really don't have the time. Since there's only a couple of rotating tutors where I am for older kids, if I wanted to take AP classes I would have to learn it myself from special ordered textbooks. In the end, it's too much of a hassle for me. You know what's also good for college applications? Extra-circulars and volunteer work. Technically speaking, every time I help out my parents it's volunteer work so I should be good. Do you think you'll play softball like you did in middle school because I remember you being incredible. Even after we broke up I still came to every one of your games.
Arnold paused when he wrote that last sentence, but decided to leave it in. After all, it wasn't as if he purposely came to every one of her games just to see her or anything because it was his way of staying close to her.
"Brazil." Amber said suddenly.
Arnold looked up in surprise, completely forgetting he had company in the first place. "What?"
"The answer is Brazil." Amber gave him a weird look. "You are doing the world history homework right? You had the most intense look on your face when you were writing."
"Oh um, yeah I was." Arnold blushed and quickly went to finish his letter so he could actually start on his homework.
Anyways, I hope school isn't too much torture for you and please don't stop writing me. I'll be waiting eagerly for your next letter. In the meantime, hope everything stays great. Arnold.
Unfortunately, only a day or so after Arnold sent his letter out an earthquake hit the village only a few miles over. He and his parents had to temporarily relocate in order to help. It wasn't until he got back three weeks later that he found a letter waiting for him.
"I'll be in my room." Arnold quickly told his parents before disappearing inside to read it. His hands trembled in excitement as he opened the envelop and saw a photo inside along with the letter. A wide smile crossed his face as he eagerly pulled the photo out first.
It was a selfie of Helga to his great surprise and happiness. Her hair was a little more grown out than she mentioned in her first letter, but it barely went passed her ears. It was also a deeper yellow than he remembered and small gold hoops now adorned her ears. The result made her look older and more beautiful even in this simple, casual picture. She wasn't even smiling, her mouth was open in a playful snarl with her tongue hanging out. Posing next to her was a bull dog with almost the exact same expression. Arnold stared at the picture for a long moment feeling his stomach turn flip flops before even looking at the letter.
"He got me a dog!" Her letter started out immediately. "Big Bob was so ridiculously proud of me that he actually got me a dog. That and he got into a fight with the father of the girl I fought. Long story short he called my dad a blow heart who didn't know how to raise his kids and to prove him wrong, my dad gets me a dog. Don't even ask how he came to that conclusion. I named him Bowser and he is very close to beating Phoebe in the role of being my best friend. Together, we rule Hillwood with an iron fist spreading terror throughout the neighborhood. "
Arnold laughed out loud. The thought of Helga with a bull dog side-kick was both hilarious and terrifying. He couldn't imagine what kind of torture she would have put him through if Bowser had been present in their childhood.
"Your love, peace, and happiness soul will be glad to know that things are actually going well with my circus act family." Helga wrote next. "Big Bob expanded his beeper business to cover more modern electronics. It brought the family business back from the brink which seemed to mellow him out a lot more. That or old age. Miriam's also gotten better at well… everything. She drinks less smoothies and actually has the presence of mind to order take out when Olga is too busy to cook. She still lives with us you know. Likes it here for some stupid reason."
Arnold chuckled. "Still itching to break free of Hillwood aren't you Helga?"
"Hey Arnold," Miles knocked on his door and poked his head into the room. "Amber is here to see you. She seems pretty eager to talk to you."
"Umm, can you take a message? I'm kind of busy." Arnold mumbled without even looking up.
Sure enough the next thing Helga wrote about were her plans for college, "If I was a super genius like Pheebs then I would definitely be applying to some abroad colleges. Right now I have to settle for aiming for a 3.0 GPA and a bunch of extra-curricular activities which you were definitely right about. I'm on the school paper right now on my way to editor and yes I did join the high school softball team. Hopefully that will get me into a decent college with a nice dorm far, far, away from this place. Hillwood ain't bad but it's not Europe. Hell, I'm even envious of you out in the Wi-Fi-less jungle. Try not to get eaten by panther or anything by the way, I'm not there to save you this time. "
"She said she's leaving tomorrow morning." Miles interrupted again.
"Cool. Tell her I said I hope she has a good time." Arnold mumbled.
"Just kidding football head, even though I can't say I had the best time in the godforsaken wilderness, I'm sure you love it. I do remember the sunsets being incredible and the stars looked brighter without the city lights. Tell your parents hi for me and have fun making the world a better place one village at a time…" Here, a large chunk of the letter had been scratched out, the writing underneath completely unreadable. The only thing left was one sentence written in a shaky hand. "I miss you and I wish I could see you again. You're always in my mind and in my thoughts. Helga."
A gentle smile grew on Arnold's lips as he reread the last sentence over and over again. Helga missed him, thought about him. Her life seemed to be busy and yet she still thought about him. Arnold took another long look at her picture before taking out a clean sheet of paper and writing her a response.
Dear Helga,
You have no idea how much I love this picture you sent. You look so beautiful with your new hair cut- Arnold paused and then erased that sentence to rewrite it- you look so beautiful and your new hair cut suits you. I'm sorry that it took me so long to write you back. There was a small earthquake nearby and my parents and I went over to rebuild. I'm okay though so please don't worry about me. I'm glad things are going so great for you. Congratulations on the dog and soft ball, and I know you'll make a great newspaper editor. You're right about the no Wi-Fi, if there was I would email you every day instead of mailing you a letter every few weeks.
Arnold suddenly froze and larger grin slowly stretching his cheeks. The thought of getting to talk to Helga every day instead of every few weeks sounded amazing. Not just emailing though. Web chatting, getting to see Helga's expressions as she talked to him. Seeing her eyes glint when she was amused, seeing her lips turn down in an annoyed frown.
I wish I could see you again too. He wrote with sudden fervor. I wish you were here with me so I could show you everything good about San Lorenzo. I wish I could show you the waterfall I found when I first started exploring on my own here. I wish you could meet all of the friends I made here. I just… wish you were here.
A feeling of longing for Helga came over Arnold so strong that he stopped writing and had to stare at the ceiling feeling confused. Where had this come from? Of course he missed all of his friends including Helga, but this felt entirely different. The more he thought about her, the most he wanted to see her. Arnold sat back up to finish his letter.
I hope we can see each other again one day. Writing you had made me realize how much I really missed talking to you and just hanging around you. My parents are actually gone a lot of the time. They want me with them some of the time but most of the time they think it's too dangerous. The kids here tend to move a lot too. I only really get to know them for a few months before either I leave or they leave. Having you here would just brighten up my life so much. I even miss you called me football head and knocking into you all the time. I… miss you more than anyone.
Again, Arnold paused. Did he really just write that? He and Helga had fought almost all throughout their childhood, suddenly fell for each other, and fought even more as preteens before breaking up. Three years had passed. They had grown up, possibly grown apart. But what Arnold wrote was true. Out of all the people he left behind, Helga was indeed the one who stayed on his mind the most, the one who he missed the most, and the one whose letters he looked forward to reading the most. Before he could chicken out Arnold sighed off the letter and sealed the envelop.
More than a month passed with no reply from Helga.
After the first few weeks without anything from Helga, Arnold took to spending more and more time out to distract himself. He felt hurt but he tried to understand. Just like he feared, Helga had probably moved on from her feelings for him. She probably wrote him out of old feelings of friendship or possibly boredom. But then one day, Arnold came home to find a letter on his bed. He picked it up slowly, feeling his heart beat in his chest. It took him a while to gather his nerve and opened it.
"Your stupid football head just had to make things mushy, didn't you?" Helga wrote in a hand that was shaky, almost angry. "Why in the world would you miss me when you're half-way across the world with awesome parents? Of course I still miss you because I'm still in love with you, but that doesn't mean you should waste a second's thought on me."
"She loves me." Arnold whispered, a smile growing on his face. "Helga still loves me."
"Hell, maybe I'm reading too much into this. I'd probably be offended if you didn't miss me. But I also know you've had to move on. And don't think I'm trying to make you feel guilty either. I loved our time together even though it ended roughly. And I sincerely hope you found a girlfriend. Someone who makes you happy in a way I never could. Someone sweet and nice just like you."
Arnold already had a response in his mind, but there was still more for him to read.
"Before you go and get a big (bigger)head or think that you have some obligation to me, don't." Helga continued, her handwriting a bit stronger. "I'm not even exactly sure why I'm even telling you except that I told myself I would tell you everything. So bucko, I'm still in love with you and hope that I see you again someday again too. As friends of course. Maybe after high school, maybe after college when we're thirty and married with kids. Hell, maybe I'll only see you through Face Time. Or maybe-"
Arnold frowned as a large portioned was crossed out.
"Sorry," Helga continued, "I got carried away. If our paths do end up crossing it'll probably be completely random. If it happens. I probably freaked you out with the whole 'I still love you' so I doubt I'll be hearing back from you any time soon. I'll end the letter here before I start rambling again. I love you, miss you, and hope you're doing well. Helga G. Pataki."
The letter ended there. Just her name in large, cursive signature. But she had written she had loved him. Twice. Arnold held the letter in a hand for a long moment. Helga still loved him. Helga had written him a letter and said she still loved him and missed him.
"I still love you. I love you, miss you, I hope that I see you again."
Arnold stood up and frantically ran around his room hunting for paper and a pen. When he finally located them he sat down at his desk to write her back.
Dear Helga, He wrote then stopped, considering his next words carefully. Arnold had written Helga dozens, maybe hundreds of letters over the past two years. But he had always been careful with those letters. He kept them friendly and light, but still let Helga know that he cared about her. But now she had finally written him back.
"Dear Helga," Arnold spoke out loud. He looked up and imagined Helga sitting across from him. Helga would be sitting straight up like she was at a business meeting but her eyes would dart around like they did when she was nervous but trying not to show it. Even though Helga was halfway across the world, she would probably have that exact expression as she waited for Arnold's response. So he wrote exactly what he would say to her.
It was like the world's best and worst roller coaster. One minute Helga would deeply regret even writing Arnold that letter. The next minute, she was almost giddy with pride that she did. One minute Helga wished that she had left it at their friends and her family. The next minute, she wished she had written more about herself. And every five minutes an anxious knot but in Helga's stomach at the thought of Arnold replying. Before, his letters were always friendly and the fact that he still cared about her (at least as a friend) was obvious. But now Helga had taken a risk and made it clear exactly how much she cared about him.
"He probably freaked out." Helga muttered as her and Phoebe sat in the living room. She patted Bowser's head as he laid between them. "I wouldn't blame him. Especially since I hadn't written him back in two years."
"I'm sure it'll be fine." Phoebe assured her gently. "You made it clear that you're perfectly content and that you wish him the best. What is there to freak out about?"
Helga gave her a rueful smile. "Trust me, a lot. Things are never that simple between me and Arnold."
She sighed deeply causing Bowser to get up and leave them. He returned minutes later with one of Olga's expensive boots in his teeth, a gift to make Helga feel better. Helga chuckled and rubbed his slobbery jowl.
"Good boy." She said in approval.
The front door opened and closed as her mother returned from her part time shift managing Big Bob's Electronic Empire.
"Helga," Miriam called out, "you have a letter, dear."
Helga's heart slammed into her ribcage as she shot up into an upright sitting position. "W-what?"
"You have a letter; it looks like it's from…San Lorenzo." Miriam came into the living room carrying an envelope. "Hey, didn't your little friend-"
Helga jumped up and snatched the letter from Miriam's hand before she can say anything further. At the top, right above the return address was Arnold's name, just like every other letter Arnold wrote her. Phoebe gave her a soft goodbye and a gentle pat on the shoulder before leaving but Helga barely heard or felt her. Instead she ignored her mother's inquisitive look and raced up the stairs to her room with Bowser following close on her heels.
Helga hadn't expected Arnold to write her back so fast. She thought it would take at least another few weeks while Arnold got his thoughts together before he wrote her back. But judging by how fast this letter arrived and the stamps, it looked like he wrote her back the same day.
"I'm prepared for anything." Helga took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Whatever his response, I'll be just fine."
She took a long moment to let her heart beat return to normal before opening the letter. It was a single page, barely a paragraph. Helga read it twice before feeling tears slide down her cheeks and the letter slipped out of her fingers.
"Dear Helga,
You're aren't reading too much into it. In fact, you're not reading enough into me missing you. When I said I missed you the most, I meant that I love you. When I said that I wanted to see you again, I meant as more than just friends.
Love, always love, Arnold."
