"In this alternate universe when you turn 18 you are sent an envelope with the name of the one person on the planet you must meet and get to know. Who is your person? How do you meet?" by Evie M.

My name is Remi Smith, I’m from Brooklyn, New York, and just this March I turned 18 years old. Everyone says that 18 is a very important age. For one, you are finally an adult, and secondly, your envelope arrives. In this envelope, there is a letter containing the name of a person you are required to meet during your time lived. Usually, this person is in your country, but we have had a few cases where you must travel long distances to find them. However, your person can be either gender. I wouldn't mind a man, because it would make finding a husband a lot easier, lol. Personally, I abhor this system. Why should I be forced to make a connection with someone who may not even speak the same language as me? After all, the best friendships (and relationships) are said to be made unexpectedly. Anyway, I gotta do what this letter says. No one knows what happens if you don’t, and hell, I'm not gonna be the one to find out. 

Grayson Ayensley. That's who I was assigned. They are a male, also 18, who lives in Chicago, Illinois. All I know is that I’m glad we’re in the same country. It would’ve been a pain in the ass to travel a long distance to meet someone I could end up hating. Typically, people find each other through social media. Oh, by the way, when we are all born, we are obligated to create an instagram account with our full name and state. Your parents usually create it for you, and it's to avoid the issue of not being able to find your person in the future. Prior to such technology, there were dictionaries in libraries of everyone's name and country (plus state if applicable), organized by continent. One more thing and I'll stop explaining– nobody is allowed the same name. When you submit your child's birth certificate, it is put through a scanner to make sure of this. We also have websites that tell you if the name you want for your child is occupied. 

Okay, moving on. Once I found my person's Instagram, after looking at his profile, I realized that he's actually pretty cute. We immediately started messaging each other. Our texts have consisted of greeting and introducing ourselves, plus planning how we are going to meet up. We agreed to meet in Pennsylvania since it's sort of a middle ground for the both of us. However, we decided to fly to Los Angeles together since we both want to at least have fun doing this thing we both agree is awful. We planned to meet on the 20th of April at the Liberty Bell. It was only about a 2 hour drive for me, but he had to drive 9 hours. I felt sort of bad, but he insisted that we meet in Pennsylvania. 

Fast forward to the 20th,  I was dreading every part of it. Well, actually, I was kind of excited to escape my regular life for a bit, and make new memories with a new person. I just wasn’t really that enthusiastic about the distance, and the possibility that I might hate it. However, I tried to look at the bright side. Maybe I could make a really great connection with this guy. Anyways, I packed my bags and loaded up my car for the road trip ahead. The GPS said about 2 hours, so I was ecstatic. Grayson and I had been texting in the morning before I hopped in the car, and he told me that he had left quite a while ago, early in the morning. The entire drive my stomach was fraught with butterflies and I felt jittery– I mean, what if he’s a total creep? Soon enough, I had arrived. I notified Grayson and then I saw him. A tall, skinny man with black baggy pants and a t-shirt. We greeted each other and hopped in a cab to the airport. Grayson was actually really nice and thoughtful. He held my luggage for me, and paid for our lunch when we sat down after going through security. 

Once we boarded the plane, he told me it was his first time flying. Our conversations consisted of little facts like that, nothing too deep, but nothing superficial. Soon enough, we landed in Los Angeles. The palm trees and hot air during spring were all new to me, and Grayson. Once we arrived at the hotel, we decided to go get lunch at a nice Italian restaurant nearby that had gone viral on social media. The food was really good and the atmosphere was also nice. While I appreciated the restaurant, I was more focused on Grayson. We really bonded over dinner and I felt like everyday I hung out with him I got closer to him. I found myself wanting to spend more time with him as the days went by, and it felt mutual. We spent 7 days in LA together, doing all sorts of things. We went to Santa Monica beach, Universal Studios, and even rock climbing. Time had passed so fast, and I found myself wanting to stay for longer even after dreading this entire experience since I was a kid. We said our goodbyes at the airport when we went to our gates. It was bittersweet. Sure, I was excited to sleep in my own bed and see all my friends, but I knew I would miss him. I texted him once my plane took off, telling him to keep in touch and he replied, agreeing with me. Maybe we will meet again someday. Who knows.