Best Friends for Life

There’s a little local coffee shop that I used to stop at every day before and after I went to work. I no longer work anymore. My husband, Richie, has so much money from his parents that he told me about a year ago that there was no reason for me to be working. I still like going to the coffee shop though everyday while he’s at med school. It’s nice to get out of the house and see other people. I order my usual, a yummy chocolate swirl drink. No coffee because that’s gross. I sit at my usual table by the window. I come here to relax and think about things.

They say college is some of the best years of your life but for me they were some of the absolute worst. When I first left everything I ever knew to go to college I was full of hope that I’d have a new life. I missed Hunter so much and Cody and Susie. It was harder than I thought it would be for me to make friends. As the years went on it was also harder and harder to keep in contact with my old friends. Things between Hunter and I were slightly weird then. I remember after my first year of college finally coming back home. I couldn’t wait to see Susie and Cody and Hunter. I hadn’t seen Hunter since we both had left for college. He had spent winter break with his parents in Paris. We hadn’t gotten to talk much either, we were both busy settling into college.

I tried not to be hurt when I found out that Hunter had a new girlfriend. I mean we both had agreed to break up but it didn’t make it any harder knowing he had found someone else and I was struggling just to make new friends. That first summer I spent mostly helping Susie plan her wedding. I wasn’t much help. I wasn’t girly and Susie was so I tried to think about what she would like and not what I’d like. She’d made me her maid of honor.

“Of course, you’re my maid of honor.” Susie had told me when we had sat down to go over details for the wedding. “I want you to help me with this. There’s just so much planning to do. I want it to be perfect.” Once again here my best girlfriend was being completely happy in her relationship while I was miserable over one that I had lost.

We managed to get the major details down and make a list of everything that needed to be done. “Why are you so down?” Susie questioned once we were done.

I shrugged.

“Don’t tell me it’s because of Hunter?”

I sighed. “It’s just weird seeing him with another women. I know we both agreed not to do long distance but…”

“You still love him.” Susie smiled sadly.

“Yeah,” I said softly. I didn’t want to think about that. “This wedding is going to be amazing,” I said changing the topic. “I can’t believe you and Cody are going to get married!”

“I know,” Susie giggled. I really was happy for the two of them. They got married that spring.

Hunter was the best man and it was slightly awkward as we walked down the aisle together. But I’d be lying if I wasn’t so happy to be that close to him again.
--

I’m sipping my drink in the coffee shop pulled out of my memories when I see someone walk in that looks awfully familiar. I thought it might have been my brain playing tricks on me because I was reminiscing. He came up to my table drink in hand.

“Do you mind if I sit here?” he asked pulling back the seat. The more I looked at him, the more I swore it was Hunter. But that would be impossible, right? It had to be my messed up mind playing tricks on me. I shook my head no.

“I don’t mind,” I told him looking down when I realized I’d been closely observing him.

“I used to have a sweatshirt like that.” He motioned to me. I was wearing the sweatshirt that I had stolen from Hunter years ago when we went to California. “Then my best friend stole it from me.”

“What a coincidence. I stole this from my best friend.” I looked into his eyes this was Hunter. This had to be Hunter. I wasn’t just seeing things.

“Your very attractive, charming best friend?” he asked as he took a sip of his drink.

“No. Last I remembered he wasn’t that attractive or charming but I haven’t seen him in ages so who knows?”

“You’re breaking my heart, Jessica.” He exclaimed jokingly as he clutched his chest.

“How do you know my name is Jessica?

“Come on. You don’t think that after all these years I wouldn’t recognize my best friend?” I hadn’t seen Hunter since we both were at the hospital when Susie delivered the twins, Eric and Sarah, almost five years ago.

“I almost didn’t recognize you. Growing a beard and all.” My face scrunching up slightly.

“Yeah I know I know. You hate beards. I don’t look so bad though do I?” He asked as his hand came to rub his beard.
“I guess you don’t look so bad. You don’t look like a hideous monster or anything.”

He laughed. “Well thanks for that.”

“So how have you been?” He asked. “We kind of lost touch after….everything that happened after graduation.” There was the awkwardness that I knew would come after not speaking for years after we’d broken up.

“Yeah, I’ve been…good.” Good was far from what I was but I couldn’t let him know that. He’d be so upset if he knew what I’d gotten myself into again. I know I wanted him to show up.
There wasn’t a day that had gone by that I didn’t think about Hunter. But I’d never picked up the phone or reach out to him in anyway. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been great. You’ll never believe what I’ve been up to.”

“Oh yeah. What have you been up to?”

“I graduated college, got my degree, ran into Angela and we started going out again.” Of course Hunter’s still oblivious I don’t want to hear about this. “She’s a model now.” Of course she is. “I don’t know what I was thinking getting back with her she’s even more of an airhead than she was in high school. It didn’t last much longer than a couple months. Last I heard she’s over in Prague. I just got offered a position at a tech firm around here. Just finished moving into my new house decided to check out this place.”

“Huh, that’s interesting.” I brought my cup up to my mouth and Hunter’s eyes widened.

“So what about you? I see you’re engaged/married now.”

“What?” I asked confused. How would he know that? He nodded his head towards my hand.

“That rock on your finger so who’s the lucky guy?” he asked the smile wiped from his face.

“Uh…” I looked down at the table. “No one you know.”

“Oh yeah,” he challenged. I nodded my head looking away towards the counter. I could tell he was curious but he let it drop.

“How about we meet up again? I’ve missed you.” He tapered off towards the end in a barely there whisper.

“Yeah, how about we meet here tomorrow same time.” We both got up.

“Ok I’ll see you then.” We went out the door and our separate ways. I didn’t want to go back home but I knew I had to because being late was definitely not an option.