Friends.

That’s all, right?

Or at least, that’s what it had been.

We had done this every summer since we graduated— take a spontaneous trip with our savings and go out on our own to make memories. It had been two years since our last one, though… all because of an accident.

Croatia. We were drunk.

It didn’t matter. There was nothing behind it. It was strictly an accident. In fact, we both, to this day, acted as if it had never happened.

Friends.

We had cut off almost all contact since then, two years ago. This summer, you found yourself longing for what we used to have. The memories we’d made. The laughs we’d share. Even after everything went wrong, you wanted to fix what had been broken between us.

You invited me on vacation again.

And I couldn’t say no.

By chance, my younger brother was getting married in just a few weeks, in Palm Springs, California. The weather was hot and hardly bearable as I sat in LAX, waiting for a text from you saying that your plane had landed. As I waited by the terminal, my leg bouncing up and down anxiously, I was beginning to realize that while I was excited to see you again, for the first time in two years, I was also terrified.

We’d hardly had a full conversation in two years. I could only imagine how awkward this could be.

Surely not? We’d been each other’s closest friend at one point. Maybe we had taken a break, but was it really all gone?

Just landed. Where are you?

My heart skipped a beat as I read the text, and when I looked up, I immediately saw you standing outside of your gate, looking around with your luggage at your side. Taking a deep breath, and forcing a small smile, I approached you.

“Hey.” I said casually, my hands tucked in the pockets of my khakis as our eyes met. God, you hadn’t changed a bit.

I stepped forward, my arms extended as I wrapped you in a comfortable, friendly hug. Despite all of our time away from one another, it still felt natural to wrap my toned arms around you like this.

“It’s nice to see you again.”