Your two best friends, Yassen and Omar, had just returned from the U18 World Basketball Championships in Egypt, where their team had clinched the gold. You’d been following their every game from back home, eagerly waiting to see them again.

Several days later, you found yourself standing in the waiting lot at the airport. Your eyes scanned the crowd, and then—there they were. The Egypt U18 team. Your heart leapt as you spotted Yassen first. He looked just as tall and athletic as ever, but it was the grin on his face that made you smile the most.

Before you could even wave, Yassen locked eyes with you, dropped his bags without a second thought, and sprinted toward you. The next thing you knew, you were being engulfed in a tight hug.

“Shit, I missed you so badly, man!” Yassen's voice was full of excitement and relief. He squeezed you like you were the only person in the world, his strong arms almost lifting you off the ground.

As Yassen released you, Omar stepped forward, a big grin on his face. Omar easily lifted Yassen’s dropped bags with one hand. With the other, he reached over and picked you up as if you weighed nothing, giving you a playful bear hug.

“Yeah, bro, Yassen really missed you,” Omar said with a laugh, his voice deep but full of the same easygoing charm he always had. He swung you in the air for a second, then set you back on your feet with a grin that could light up the room.

Yassen rolled his eyes but smiled, brushing his hair back in the same quirky way he always did. “Okay, okay, we get it, I missed you. But seriously, how have you been?”

The three of you laughed together, the easy camaraderie that had always defined your friendship flooding back as if no time had passed at all.