From Friendship to Passion: A Journey Through Love’s Different Aspects

Lia Santos was eight years old when she decided that Adrian Reyes was going to be her best friend. Adrian had never agreed to it. He simply didn't know how to argue with her. It was the first week of Grade 2 when Lia transferred to their school. She arrived carrying a yellow backpack that was almost as big as she was, her hair tied into two uneven ponytails. Their teacher placed her beside Adrian. Adrian looked at her once before returning his attention to his notebook. Lia looked at him. Then at his pencil case. Then at the small dinosaur eraser sitting beside his notebook. “What's your name?” “Adrian.” “I'm Lia.” He nodded. There was silence. Five seconds later, Lia smiled. “We're best friends now.” Adrian finally looked at her. “No.” “Yes.” “I already have friends.” “So?” He frowned. Lia leaned closer and whispered, “You can have two.” For reasons Adrian couldn't explain, he smiled. That afternoon, they walked home together. It became a habit. They met after school beneath an old acacia tree beside the playground. Sometimes they talked about cartoons. Sometimes they traded snacks. Sometimes they simply sat together and watched other children play. They grew up together. They had matching friendship bracelets made from cheap colored threads. They invented secret handshakes. They created jokes nobody else understood. And when they were eleven, Lia brought a notebook to their favorite place. “What's that?” Adrian asked. “Our future.” “Our what?” “Our bucket list.” She opened the notebook. At the top, written in messy handwriting, were the words: THINGS ADRI AND LIA WILL DO TOGETHER BEFORE WE GROW OLD. Adrian laughed. “That's stupid.” “You're stupid.” He laughed harder. Together, they wrote their dreams. Visit another country. See snow. Eat pizza in Italy. Ride a train somewhere far away. Watch the sunrise. Buy a house with a garden. And at the bottom, Lia wrote: Never become strangers. Adrian stared at the sentence. Then he took the pen from her. “Promise?” Lia held out her pinky. “Promise.” Their pinkies locked. Neither of them knew that some promises were easier to make when you were young. Neither knew how difficult they could become when life began changing. For now, they were simply Adrian and Lia. Best friends. Two children who believed that nothing in the world could separate them. And perhaps, for a little while, they were right.