Turn Back Time

I pulled into the parking lot of one of the seven Starbucks in town. We slid out of the car, and Nick's warm hand reached for mine.

He led me to the corner table by the window, and smiled, "Still in love with iced coffee?"

I nodded, with no expression on my face. On the inside, however, I was amazed that he sill remembered that about me.

When I was in my junior year of high school, taking the ACT, SAT, and applying to every college under the sun, I spent the majority of my time at the Starbucks in Braintree, where Nick worked everyday after school. He was year ahead of me, and had a major case of Senioritis-- he did nothing but work, sleep, eat and party. I downed millions of iced coffees throughout that year, before I slept with Nick. He'd graduated, and gotten his diploma two days before he left me alone and headed off on a cross-country road-trip.

But I wasn't bitter or anything.

I glanced over at him as he stood in line. He was smiling, making small talk with the older couple in front of him as they waited on their order. They finished paying, shook Nick's hand, and smiled as they left.

"What a charming young man!" The woman remarked as she headed out the door.

I looked back over at the window and felt my heart drop into my stomach.

There he was, on the other side of the glass, holding hands with a girl I didn't recognize. She stood up on her toes, and kissed him with a smile. He turned and noticed me. I quickly turned the other way, seeing the smirk from the corner of my eye.

Fuck you, John O'Callaghan.

"I love old people." Nick laughed. His voice pulled me back to attention. He saw my eyes, and frowned. "What's up, buttercup?"

"John." I sighed. I took my time, sipping my coffee through a straw, and explaining everything. It'd been a year, but Nick was still my best friend, and I always needed to tell him everything-- every score, and every sore.

"Sucks when the person you want gets distracted." He said sardonically. He took a swig of his drink, and looked down at the table. "Madds?"

I kept my eyes on his hands-- calloused, tattooed, and inviting.

"I can be everything to you."

I half-smiled at him from across the table. "I know you can." I said, and I meant it. We stood up and headed back to the car. Nick opened the passenger door for me, and he kept his eyes on me as I climbed in. "What?" I laughed.

He was grinning now, "Let me take you out tonight."

"And do what?"

"Everything." He whispered with a confident smile.