I was 18, a total computer nerd, and had literally never asked a girl out in my life. I was thrift shopping with my mom when I saw the cashier, and she was hands down the most beautiful person I’d ever seen.

My biggest fear was rejection. I knew I had a 99% chance of getting crushed right in front of my own mom, but a terrifying clarity hit me: if I walked out of there quiet, I was going to regret it for the rest of my life.

Out of nowhere, it felt like my brain just went on autopilot. Someone else hijacked my body, walked me right up to the register, and forced me to ask for her number. I was probably sweating bullets, but I have never felt that kind of crazy, effortless nerve before or since.

She actually gave it to me. And she turned out to be the love of my life.

We’ve survived some brutal rough patches over the years, but we have always had each other's backs. I have never felt so unconditionally loved and accepted by another human being.

18-year-old me did a da*n good job that day. Today, at 34, I still love her more and more every single day. There is zero doubt in my mind that we are soulmates, and it honestly scares me to even imagine what my world would look like if I hadn't taken that split-second leap.