Wild and Running

It had been nearly two years since Andy and Spencer last seen each other. After he had decided to drop out right before their third year at the school was their last real interaction. In those two years, so much had changed. Andy had moved to California, his relationship with Scout turned to shit, and his most important friendship had fallen apart. The only time he had ever heard from Spencer was on Holidays, and his birthday. Phone calls and text messages would never be able to compare to seeing her face, her smile, or hearing the way she said his name, or laughed at his lame jokes. Nothing was as precious as that to him.

Ohio was a place in the past to Andy now. His hometown was more of a myth when he was in California. When he wasn’t touring, or doing anything related with Black Veil Brides, he would sit at home and write. Writing was his passion, his escape. When he was writing he was out and about, imagining the way Spencer would react to such a city. She hadn’t seen the Ocean since she had become his neighbor in the fifth grade.

Spencer spent her time mostly at home. She had graduated from the school Andy had dropped out of and started to work as a waitress at a local café. It wasn’t her dream job, but it got her by. She often thought of Andy, wondering what adventures life was taking him through. His dreams were coming true and that made her happy. No matter how distanced they were, he would always be her best friend. Now that he was so far away, she realized how precious he was to her.

It had been a long day at Enzo’s café for Spencer, and she was relieved to see she could finally clock out. Once she quickly bid her goodbyes to her fellow work-mates, she hurried out of the door. Across the street from Enzo’s was the school she graduated from. Every time her eyes landed on the building a hint of nostalgia would pick at her. She missed it sometimes, and the other times she realized how shitty the last two years she spent there had been. They had been the loneliest two years of her life. Not only had Andy left, but the group of friends she shared blamed her for his absence.

The short walk to the parking lot was enough to put Spence in a dull mood. She missed her best friend, and she didn’t know when he would be back home. New Year’s was the last time they had spoken, and she was almost positive he was a bit buzzed when he answered the phone. With a sigh, she got into car, ready to go home and rid herself of the coffee bean smell that had become her aroma. Her heart stopped as she pulled onto her street. In the driveway across from her home sat a very familiar black Cadillac. There was only one person in this city that had a car such as this, and she couldn’t contain herself. Andy was home. She was finally going to be reunited with the person who knew her best.

Andy stood near the sink in the kitchen, his eyes fixated at the house across the street. Nobody was home. Two days prior he had been sitting in his California Apartment that he shared with one of his band-mates, just thinking back on the old times. Tour started in two weeks, and he had no other plans. Album work was all done. He had told his friend that he was going to visit home for a week; he had said he missed his family, and needed to fix something with old friends. After he had taken his time to get dressed and packed, he decided he would drive home.

Unfortunately, he never told anyone of this plan, and by the time he had arrived, nobody was home. His parents were gone, assumed to have gone out to dinner or something, and his best friend's house was empty as well. It wasn’t until the sound of a car approaching pulled him from his irritated mood. He watched as a gray Honda Civic pulled into the drive across the street. Though the vehicle had tinted windows, he knew who was inside. No sooner did the car vehicle swing open did Andy leave his place from the kitchen to head outside to meet her.

Panic set in Spencer’s veins as she heard him call her name. The hair stood on end as she glanced in the rear view mirror. She saw the tall, lanky frame of someone she had missed, and the messy bun her hair had been stuck in since morning. What a way to see each other again, she thought, pulling her keys out of the ignition before she climbed out of the car. She didn’t even have time to shut the door before he pulled her into the tightest hug she had ever had.

“Spencer,” Andy breathed, his arms holding her as if she would slip away in any moment. This was the happiest he had been in a long time. He could smell the coffee scent from her hair and he couldn’t help but chuckle. “You smell like a giant cappuccino or something, loving the bun by the way.”

“Oh, shut up.” That low voice was the one she had missed for so long. The fact that they were standing in her drive way in an embrace almost felt like a dream to her. Once they pulled away, she finally got to see his face. Black eye-liner adorned his eyes, as always, he was still skinny as can be, but damn had his hair grown. Still, he was undeniably one of the most attractive people she had ever seen, and those eyes couldn’t be matched. “You look, really good.” She laughed, a half smile forming on her mouth as he winked.

“You look pretty good yourself, for being a cappuccino, and all. I don’t think I have ever seen one as pale as you, though.” He teased. It was almost as if they had never been separated in the first place. Andy stared down at Spencer, smiling as she rolled her eyes at him. The friendship that they had was still intact, and he felt stupid for fearing it was all gone. You couldn’t throw that many years of hanging out with someone out the window, it was impossible.

“Well, Andy, it was great to see you, but I really want to be Spencer again, since I am now a coffee with legs.” As childish as it sounded, she was now insecure of her coffee like smell. She yearned to be clean, especially now that he was home.

“Yeah, I’d like you to be Spencer again too, though I do enjoy coffee, sometimes,” He teased again, “Are you doing anything tonight?” Andy didn’t like asking her if she was free, it felt different. When they were younger they didn’t even knock when they went to each other’s houses, they were practically family. Now, here he stood, asking her if she wanted to hang out. It was awkward.

A million thoughts ran through Spencer’s mind as she stared up at Andy, excitement pulsed through her veins at the thought of her past friendship. They used to have so much fun together, even if they were doing absolutely nothing. “Yeah, I’m never busy. I’m all yours.” The smile that crossed Andy’s mouth was enough to make her blush. These feelings she was having were confusing her though. She couldn’t tell if the butterflies that swirled around in her stomach were from missing him so much, or from some crush she used to have back before he left.

“I am okay with this.” Andy’s deep voice pulled her from her thoughts, sending chills down her spine. “Just come on over after you shower, I’ll figure out something for us to do.”
She nodded her head, shutting the car door that remained open before giving him one more small hug. “I will be over shortly; I just have to take a quick shower and stuff. See you later, Andrew.”

How much he enjoyed hearing his name from her mouth was almost pathetic. “All right,” the words were more of a whisper as he watched her walk towards her door. He decided turning around and walking home may as well be the best option.

The only thing that Andy could think about was her smile, her eyes, her voice, how much he had missed all of those things. His heart raced at the thought of her coming over. It was nearly half an hour later and Andy still hadn’t thought of anything for the two to do. He just sat in his bedroom upstairs and reminisced on their old times. It wasn’t until he heard the doorbell downstairs did he realize that she was here.

Spencer felt odd ringing the doorbell, but she didn’t want to intrude. It has been a long time since she had set foot in the Biersack house, and barging in like she used to was not acceptable in her mind. To her, this all felt like some sort of crazy dream, almost as if it was too good to be true. She had pinched herself several times in the shower for confirmation, and knew that this was reality however. Excitement pulsed through her as she watched the door open in front of her. Andy’s head was cocked to the side as he urged her to walk inside. The sentence that left his mouth was enough for the both of them to know this night was going to be just like the old times.

“May I interest you in Sweeney Todd?”