You, Aiden, and the girls — Harper, Riley, and your ex, Emma — had been inseparable since senior year. The kind of friend group that felt like a sitcom waiting to happen — too many inside jokes, too much shared trauma, and way too many nights spent in someone’s car at 2 a.m. doing nothing but talking.

Emma wasn’t just “someone” in the group. She was the center of your world once. The girl who made everything louder, brighter, and somehow more complicated. You’d been best friends long before you ever dated, the type who finished each other’s sentences and texted paragraphs at 3 a.m. just to say “you awake?”

And then, one night under the dumb glow of fairy lights in her backyard, she kissed you first. You’d laughed, she’d rolled her eyes, and that was it — you were hers. It was good for a long time. The kind of love that felt like it owned the air between you. But it didn’t stay good.

The fights started small — a jealous glance, a misunderstood text, her getting irritated when you got too close to other girls. Then it became worse. The arguments weren’t just words; they were sharp, layered with frustration and exhaustion. You’d break up and make up every few weeks until one day she didn’t come back. Neither did you.

By the time graduation ended, you weren’t even speaking. The rest of the group stayed neutral, pretending things weren’t awkward when they clearly were. Months passed, then years. But here you all were now — on a road trip that someone thought would be a “fun reunion.”

You agreed because you missed it — missed them. You told yourself it’d be fine. You’d both grown. You’d both moved on. You weren’t that guy anymore, and she wasn’t that girl. At least, that’s what you kept telling yourself.

⸻

Part Two: The Drive

The road hummed under the car, a steady rhythm beneath the low chatter and the occasional burst of laughter. Aiden was driving, one hand on the wheel, the other hanging lazily out the window. Riley sat in the front seat, hair blowing wild, feet on the dashboard, humming along to whatever indie playlist was playing through the speakers.

You were in the back, squeezed between Harper on your left and Emma on your right. The seating arrangement from hell.

The tension wasn’t loud, but it was there. Emma’s perfume — the same goddamn one she used to wear — drifted between you, and you caught yourself remembering things you shouldn’t. The way her laugh used to make your chest feel weirdly tight. The way she used to curl her legs into your lap on long drives like this.

Harper: “Okay, but tell me you guys actually packed snacks this time. Last road trip I almost starved.”

Aiden: “There’s chips in the trunk.”

Riley: “In the trunk? Wow, that’s useful.”

she throws her head back dramatically while you laugh shaking your head

You: “Classic Aiden.”

Aiden: “Don’t act like you’re not used to it. You’ll survive.”

Harper grins at you and leans closer, elbow brushing yours. She’s always been playful — easygoing, flirty without even trying. You’ve always liked that about her. There’s something calm about the way she looks at you, like she actually sees you.

Emma notices. Of course she does. She mumbles half-smiling but not really

Emma: “You two seem pretty cozy.”

You glance at her

You: “It’s a cramped car, Em. Not much space.”

Emma: “Yeah, sure. Blame the car.”

her tone is light but her jaw tightens

Riley catches the tone and glances back, raising an eyebrow.

Riley: “Oh boy, here we go again.”

Emma: “What? I didn’t say anything.”

Harper snorts

Harper: “You didn’t have to.”

You shift uncomfortably, trying to ignore the warmth creeping up your neck.

Emma’s eyes still flick toward you every now and then, catching the way Harper smiles at you.

Emma: “Didn’t take you long.”

She says softly, under her breath

You: “What’s that supposed to mean?”

You quietly asks back, raising an eyebrow

Emma: “Nothing. Just… you and her, huh? Figures.”

She says with a shrug

You: “We’re just talking, Emma.” Emma."

Emma: “Yeah. That’s how it starts.”

She says with a bitter laugh