Thirteen Years and Counting

You were always two doors away- close enough for your voice to reach mine without even trying. 

We did not study together, never wore the same uniform or sat in the same classroom and that's what makes it even rarer- we grew up side by side for the past thirteen years in the same apartment, with the same stories and same laughter echoing through these walls. 

You were always a few steps ahead, the first to understand things that I was learning and trying to figure out. 

You taught me how to stay positive, calm, how to see what people do not say, how to deal with different kinds of people, how to stay like a warrior in the most difficult times and most importantly, you could make out if someone is not right for me and you tried to make me comprehend before it was too late. 

You became my steady thing, in every change that came with growing up. 

We had our share of fights (Big and small), the kind where we both refused to talk or say sorry first. 

Those small moments still hold a special place in the heart. When we were young, I used to throw sorry letters into your house when we had arguments, and you place it right back on our table just as stubborn and hurt, but never really gone. 

It made the bond even stronger and lovely. 

That was us- fighting hard, forgiving easily, and finding our way back to one another. 

Between these two flats and this apartment, 

our whole story lives. 

From playing in the corridor, to sharing snacks, secrets and mischiefs, to slowly growing into who we are today- this building has seen it all. 

The walls still remember our laughter, and every corner still knows our names. 

What makes it even more special is that we are still here, still sisters, still walking into each other's homes like they are both ours. 

Our parents just as close as we are, sharing long talks and jokes. 

Thirteen years of knowing you, seeing you in all your phases, and still being loved the same. 

Sometimes I stop and wonder, 

how rare this really is- how few people get to grow up with someone who never drifts away. 

So much around us has changed, but not the way we stayed for each other with the same warmth, laughter, love, and bond. 

Maybe that's what home really means- staying strong through the years and seeing each other through every age.