Also, I should have known chemistry jokes are romantic. Please ignore any romantic subtext. Biology was never my thing. I hate living organisms, fungus especially.
I am still warning you. Be careful.
It's still yours to open, or not.
23ATOMIC NO.
Zi
Ziana
Happy Birthday, Ziana.
Naturally occurring. Rarely diluted. Doesn't dissolve into the room.
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Properties
As observed, under normal conditions.
State
Unimpressed by default. Has to be earned.
Reactivity
High. Says the thing most people swallow.
Solubility
Does not dissolve into other people's opinions of her.
Stability
Comfortable alone. Doesn't need a crowd to feel like herself.
Field notes
Things I know for a fact.
01You're actually smart. Chemistry-major smart. Not "seems smart in conversation" smart. The kind you have to work for.
02You don't ask what people think before deciding what you think. That's rarer than it should be.
03You'd take a night alone over performing for people who don't get it. I used to think that was you being closed off. It isn't. It's you knowing what's worth your time.
04When you don't like something, you say so. No softening it, no managing the room.
05You care enough about what you believe to actually argue for it, even when it costs you something. I respect that, even the times we didn't land in the same place.
Reactions observed
Things you changed, whether you meant to or not.
[Your taste in film] + [my default watchlist] → [an actual habit change]
You don't watch romcoms with white leads. First time you said that I thought it was a small preference. It's not. It's you being deliberate about where your attention goes. I didn't overhaul my whole watchlist overnight, but I stopped skipping past Black-led romcoms. And I call you parasocial, because this is the first time I've gotten to see someone be passionate about something the same way my friends see it in me.
Still working on this one. No results yet. Experiment continues. I know I need to ask questions instead of testing hypotheses.
Frequencies
We have never once agreed on a song.
Your signal
Megan Thee Stallion and a rotating cast of artists I've never heard of. Real hot girl shit, all of it. I still don't listen to any of it on my own time, and you've made peace with that.
My signal
Pop, alt-pop, everything you've made clear, without a hint of softening, that you cannot stand.
Zero overlap. Wouldn't change it.
Double feature
Apparently "Holiday" is in both of our favorite classics.
Your pick
Last Holiday
Undefeated. Not up for debate. Especially not today, it's your birthday.
My pick
Roman Holiday
Neither of us planned this. It's a little unsettling.
Element 23
Turning 23, same as me.
Twenty-three looks good on you. It's going to keep looking good on you.
Forecast
What I hope this year brings you.
A year that's loud in the ways you want, and quiet in the ways you actually need.
More solitude on the days you want it. More people who deserve your time on the days you don't.
Fewer rooms where you have to explain yourself. More where you don't have to.
Chemistry that stays in the lab, not in your patience for people who don't get you.