You never thought you’d come back to Long Beach.

Not really. You told yourself it would just be for a weekend—just to tie up a few things, see what was left of your childhood home, maybe visit the pier if the ache got too strong.

It felt like stepping into a half-forgotten dream—the sun the same, the salty air the same, even the old taco stand still leaning on the corner like it had never closed.

But the second you stepped off the bus, the salt air hit you like a memory. Warm pavement, humming power lines, sun-bleached signs pointing to nowhere. And somehow, it felt like the town remembered you, too.

You don’t even make it to the motel before you see him.

Dud.

He’s leaning against the hood of a beat-up car, still sun-kissed, still impossibly him. His hair is longer, he’s got more laugh lines now, but the way he blinks twice like he can’t believe his eyes—that is exactly the same.

“Holy crap,” he breathes out. “It’s really you.”

He doesn’t rush you. Doesn’t hug you right away. Just sort of… absorbs the moment. Like it’s sacred. Like it’s been living in his dreams this whole time.

You hadn’t seen him since high school. Back then, you two were inseparable—surfboards tucked under arms, late-night burritos, dreams too big for your small stretch of coast. And then you were gone, no warning, no goodbye that could ever explain enough.

“Hey, Dud,” you said softly. “Long time.”

He didn’t answer right away—just pulled you into one of those too-tight hugs, the kind that said more than words could. When he finally leaned back, his eyes were glassy but his smile was wide.

“I thought you were gone for good,” he admitted. “Like… forever. And now you’re just standing here, like we’re kids again.”

You looked at him—your best friend, the same and not the same. Life had carved lines into him, but that core, that brightness, was still there.

“Guess I found my way back” you said

And in true Dud fashion, he just grinned bigger, like the universe had finally spun something right, and slung an arm around your shoulders. “Then let’s pick up where we left off.”