Wonderwall

John was playing with his iPhone when he got a new text from Darcy. He glanced around the airport first and then opened it. She had simply told him that the plane was officially unloading and she’d be at gate C in about ten minutes.

He hurriedly stood up and shoved his phone back in his pocket. His excitement was barely contained as he stared at the small entrance where the passengers would be exiting. Half of him wanted to dart through the door just to see her, but then he reasoned that security would probably take him down before he’d even get a glance at her face.

His hands went to his pockets as he waited anxiously. Everything had happened so fast. Darcy had called. She’d texted the plane information. Now she was here. After five years, she was finally here. He wondered if she’d changed. He hoped she hadn’t. He wanted things to be the same as when they were seventeen and his mom had to drive him to the airport to pick her up.

John sighed heavily. He knew it wouldn’t work like that. Everyone changes. Five years is a long time. He switched to wishing she hadn’t changed dramatically. He still wanted her to be close to him, like best friends or brother and sister.

He sucked in air as people started to trail out of the entrance in single file. His nerves were getting the better of him as he waited. Person after person came out and happily greeted their parent, or friend, or lover. It was starting to make John sick.

Then a brown haired girl came out grinning. Her eyes were the same color as his and her dimples made her seem child-like. She was just as he remembered, only a little older. Her hair was longer, at least down to her elbows. She was still thin, but not too thin. She was healthy and strong. John smirked.

“Darcy Oh!” John screamed and threw his arms open. She giggled and jogged over. Her arms went around his neck as he squeezed her middle. Her eyes closed, as did his, as the two of them soaked in the moment of their embrace.

“Hey John Oh.” She whispered as she finally got her mouth to work. Her eyes were tearing up as she pulled back some and stared up at him. He was a little taller with his hair a lot shorter, but he was still John.

“I can’t believe you’re here.” He grinned goofily as he stared back at her. She giggled again and nodded.

“I can’t believe it either, but I am.” She shrugged and her smile faltered. That was when John remembered their first conversation. The worry came back to his gut as he stared harder into her eyes, trying to read them for some sign as to what was wrong. “I missed you.” She tilted her head and smiled sadly as she signed miss. She hated that it had taken this long to come back.

John threw his arm around her and held her tightly to his chest again. “I missed you too.” He muttered and then sighed as he had to let go of her. “Where’s your bags?” He questioned as he glanced around. Darcy didn’t have a single thing with her, not a purse or a duffel bag or even a small bag of peanuts.

She smiled sheepishly and shrugged. “Somewhere on its way here.” Her voice wavered a bit with nerves and John quickly narrowed his eyes at her, more concern filling him. “After I got done packing, I realized I had too much shit to take on the plane so I decided to mail it instead.” Her hands went to moving as she spoke, signing away as her mind wandered off.

His eyes caught onto her hands and another smirk slowly curled his lips upward. He hadn’t forgotten the way she did that, but he was still amazed at how fast she was. It took a few moments before John could respond. “You mailed your clothes here?”

Darcy shrugged again. “It was the cheaper way to go. I sent them out yesterday so I should get them either tomorrow or the day after.” She tried acting casual about it, but John could sense there was a whole other reason why she’d shipped her things instead of taken them on the plane. He wanted to ask about it further, but Darcy beat him to it. “So, I’m starved. Take me home so I can make a sandwich!”

She tried changing the subject and John frowned. He was uncertain why she was so jumpy, but he figured she would tell him in her own time, maybe once she was settled in. He cleared his throat and started to lead the way out of the airport. “Actually, I’m taking you out for a late lunch on our way home.”

She raised her eyebrows and eyed him suspiciously. “Why?”

“What do you mean why? You just got here. I want to take you out. Most people would just say thanks, not start an interrogation.” He rolled his eyes and this made her more suspicious.

“There’s something at your house, isn’t there?” She probed and John scoffed as he took his sunglasses off his head to put them back on his face. “Is it a party? You know I don’t like surprises. I swear if you’ve planned a surprise party I’ll—,”

“It’s just some friends coming over.” He shrugged and smirked at her soured expression. “There may be a cake in the fridge. I don’t know. Mom’s always buying weird things and leaving them in my kitchen.”

“Right.” Darcy rolled her eyes as they stepped out of the airport and into the warm Arizona air. It was hot and it was dry. Darcy inhaled deeply and squinted as she glanced around. “Well, Arizona hasn’t changed much.”

John chuckled. “What’d you expect? Thunderstorms and fog?” She playfully glared at him and snatched the sunglasses off his face before he could laugh at his own sarcasm. “Hey!”

“Much better.” She grinned as her eyes relaxed and she took a closer examination of her surroundings. She bit her bottom lip as her hands raised to start signing another sentence. John noticed though and reached over to grab one of her hands. He squeezed it in his and waited until she was looking up at him.

“It’s great to have you home, Darcy.” He smiled warmly and hoped it would help soothe her problems or fears or whatever had her so edgy. Darcy sighed and squeezed his hand back, her eyes lifting to the bright baby blue sky.

“Don’t go sappy on me, John. You’ll make me cry.” She blinked hard a few times behind his shades, battling all her emotions inside. John laughed and that made her smile.

“Alright, Darc. Let’s get something to eat.” He kept a hold on her hand as the two crossed the street and headed for the parking garage. He pulled out the keys to his black BMW and smirked as he unlocked the car from twenty feet away.

“That’s your car?” Darcy’s mouth fell open and her eyebrows rose as she stared at the new shiny car. She even stopped walking. John laughed and let go of her hand as he continued toward the car.

“Yes. This is moonbeam.” He grinned proudly as he eyed his car over. Darcy snorted.

“Moonbeam? You seriously named your car moonbeam? What exactly were you drinking that night?” She shook from her shock and finished the small walk to the car, getting into the passenger seat as John claimed driver side.

“For your information,” he started but then cracked a smile as he saw the look she was giving him. “It was this beer called Blue Moon, hence why our thoughts were on the moon.” He admitted and started the car.

Darcy giggled. “Oh, that is so sad. You should have drunkenly forgotten that name on accident so you could give it a decent one.”

“She happens to like Moonbeam.”

“Okay, I’m getting creeped out. Can we stop talking about your car like it’s a living girl?”

“You started it.”

“Technically, you did. I never asked her name.”

“Fine. How was your flight?” John smirked and glanced over as he pulled up to a stop sign. Darcy made a face but then shrugged.

“It was alright. The attendants were assholes, as usual. The turbulence made me puke, also as usual. And my ears have yet to unplug themselves.”

“You should consider driving over next time.”

Darcy bit her bottom lip hard. Her relationship with John had always been an honest one. There were never secrets kept between them, and there were certainly never any lies told. She didn’t want to ruin that and start lying but she couldn’t quite bring herself to tell him there might not be a next time.

“So, Darc. Where do you want to eat?” He glanced over at her again, catching the end of her disgruntled expression.

“Dunkin’ Donuts, please.” She immediately perked up at the mention of food. Then she groaned. “There is not a single Dunkin’ Donuts in all of Wichita. It’s ridiculous.”

“Yeah, I’ve always found that weird.” John cleared his throat and a small, comfortable silence fell upon them. Darcy fidgeted in her seat, trying to ignore her guilty conscience. Finally she decided to turn to the radio for help. She hit the on button and some weird stuff started to play. Darcy knew it wasn’t John’s kind of music, so she turned to him curiously for an answer. “That reminds me.” He pointed toward the stereo and then glanced at Darcy with another smirk. “I’ve got someone I want you to meet.”

Darcy rolled her eyes and turned her gaze out the window. “I do not need someone.” She muttered and frowned as she watched the semi-familiar scenery pass by.

John didn’t hear her. “He’s in my band, which I’m sure you’ve been keeping tabs on.”

“I’ve listened to some of your stuff.” She smiled a little. She was pretty sure he knew that ‘his band’ was what put her to sleep every night. She had never really taken an interest in what the other boys looked like though.

“Yeah, well, his name’s Kennedy and he plays the guitar. He’s actually from Scottsdale, which is like ten minutes from Tempe.” Darcy rolled her eyes again.

“You know, you didn’t even ask me if I already had a boyfriend!” She was slightly irritated, but as the words slipped from her mouth, the guilt came back full force.

John waited half a second. “Do you have a boyfriend?” He was almost positive she didn’t, and that was why he hadn’t asked. He was close enough to her that he was confident she would have told him about some guy earlier if there had been one.

Darcy crossed her arms. “No.” She swallowed hard at the wrong taste in her mouth. She had never lied to John in all her life.

“Good. I’ll set you guys up on a date then.” He grinned at his own ingenious plan.

Darcy huffed. “Haven’t I dated enough of your friends?” She attempted to sneak her way out of another mistake, but it was no use.

“This is different.” John spoke assertively as he nodded to himself. He had made up his mind and that was the end of it. His cousin and one of his closest friends were going to be perfect for each other. He was certain.

Darcy, on the other hand, was not so certain. She sighed and shifted in her seat again, mumbling a low, “whatever.”