I Remember

It's not like you and Dani ever really hated each other - but you did have your moments. Maybe you could just chalk it up to how your lives forked in two directions. You stayed in school; she became a star. You're still in your hometown; she's in Seoul, New York, Paris, Hong Kong, L.A. You're single, and she's... well, who really knows? She's not the type to settle down.

The two of you don't talk much anymore, and the last time you did, it ended in a spat. You haven't reached out to her since. Maybe it's just easier that way. Maybe you two just don't fit in each other's lives.

-

The city lights glow underneath a blanket of rain clouds; the stars are hidden, and the moon is nowhere to be seen. The streets are slick with rain, and puddles form in dips in the road. You're at a stoplight, your car idling as you wait for your turn to pass through the intersection. Even though it's late, the roads are still crowded, and the sidewalks are full of people hurrying home. It's not the most ideal weather to be driving in, but it's not all bad. You've always liked the rain.

You hear a distant rumble of thunder. In front of you is a bus stop, where a group of three people are huddled under a small roof. You can barely make them out through the downpour, but the figure in pink stands out among the bland normality.

The stoplight turns green, and you press on the accelerator. The rain is coming down harder now, and it's making it difficult to see out of the windshield, while the wipers are doing their best to keep up, but they're losing the battle. The traffic moves slowly, and the rain keeps falling. Your headlights cut through the darkness, illuminating the road ahead of you.

As you're approaching the bus stop, the person in the pink coat looks up. She meets your gaze.

Dani.

Your jaw drops open slightly. What's she doing here, of all places? You haven't seen her in years. Not in person, at least. You've seen her on TV and in the news, of course - that's where she lives now. The last time you talked, the two of you didn't exactly part on good terms. She'd said something that rubbed you the wrong way, and you'd said something that rubbed her the wrong way, and it escalated into a shouting match. It wasn't pretty.

Now that you've seen her, though, you feel a sudden pang of regret. Maybe you were too harsh on her. Maybe you should've called her back after that. But what would you say? It's been so long, and you're not even sure if she'd want to talk to you. She's probably forgotten all about you by now.

There’s no mental deliberation before you find yourself pulling over to the side of the road. Your car comes to a stop next to the bus stop, and you roll down the passenger-side window. The woman in the pink coat is still standing there, and she's watching you with a curious expression.

You lean over and look at her through the open window. "Dani?"

She squints at you for a moment, and then recognition dawns on her face. "Oh my god." she says, "Is that really you?"

"Yeah, it's me," you say, "Do you want a ride? It's pouring out there."

"Um, sure. I mean, if it's no trouble..."

"It's fine," you say with a smile, "Hop in."

Dani nods, and she hurries over to the car door. She opens it and climbs in, closing it behind her. The interior of the car is instantly filled with the scent of her perfume, and you feel a little dizzy.

"Hey, thanks for picking me up," she says, "I was starting to think I was gonna be stuck here all night."

"Don't mention it," you say, "I'm glad I could help."

You pull away from the curb and begin driving again and Dani begins her rant, "Ugh, what a disaster. The meeting ran late and the car never showed up, of course, it started pouring right when I left the building, and I didn't bring an umbrella, so now I'm soaked to the bone. I look like a drowned rat." She laughs bitterly and shakes her head. That's the same Dani you remember, talking a mile a minute and always quick to complain. Some things never change.

You don't answer her right away, not knowing what to say. The last words you said to her were full of anger. What could you possibly follow that up with?

"Look, about last time," Danie begins to say. Oh, here we go. The apology. You brace yourself for it, but it doesn't come. Instead, Dani just continues, "I don't even remember what we fought about. Isn't that crazy? We were both so mad at each other, but I can't remember what started it all. Can you?"

You can. Of course, you can. You remember every detail of that argument. But you don't want to dredge it all up again, so you lie, "No, I don't remember either."

"Exactly!" she exclaims, "It was stupid. All that yelling, and for what? Some petty bullshit that neither of us can even remember anymore. We were being idiots."

"We were," you agree. You weren't. You both had every right to be annoyed. But that's not the point.

"Friends?" she asks.

You nod. "Friends."

"I'm so glad the world sent you to me today," she says, grinning at you. "What a crazy coincidence. You're the first friendly face I've seen all day."

You glance at her, then quickly turn your attention back to the road. "I'm glad, too," you say. "It's good to see you again." And it is, you realize. Despite everything, despite how things ended between you, it's good to see her again.

"So where are you heading?" you ask, realising you'd been on autopilot and heading towards your apartment, not even stopping to think where she might need to be.

"I was gonna get the bus back to the hotel," Dani replies and it's followed by a ponderous silence. You know where this is going, and you can't help but feel a little bit excited by it, "But if you're headed home, maybe you'd be open to some company?"

"Yeah," you say, "That sounds nice."

"Great," she says, "Let's do it."

Your heart is beating faster, and your hands are gripping the steering wheel tightly. You can't believe you're actually doing this. You and Dani haven't spoken in years, and now you're bringing her back to your place? What are you thinking? But you know what you're thinking. You're thinking that you want to make things right between you two and that this is the perfect opportunity to do it. You're thinking about all those confusing nights you spent alone with your best friend in college, the way she'd crawl into bed with you after a party and wrap herself around you like a snake, how her lips would sometimes graze against the skin of your neck, how her hands would sometimes wander beneath your shirt. You're thinking about how much you missed her, and how much you've wanted to see her again.

-

You let Dani step in first, and she does so with an almost effortless grace. She takes off her coat and hat and then hangs them on the rack next to the door. You didn't see it before, but now that she's taken off her hat, your jaw is hanging agape. "Dani, your hair." It's short, blonde, and bobbed - a far cry from the long, brown locks you remember.

"Yeah," she says, running a hand through it, "It's new. Do you like it?"

"Yeah," you say, "It suits you."

It served as a distraction - however momentary - from the body she just revealed. She was your awakening, a year ago, and in all that time you've never been able to find someone quite like her. She's slender, with long legs and toned abs. Her breasts are small but perky, and her nipples are hard and visible through the fabric of her bra from the cold. You can't help but stare at them, and you can feel your cheeks getting warm, and you haven't even had the chance to admire her cute butt in those jeans.

"Thanks," she says, "I wasn't sure about it at first, but I think I'm getting used to it."

"Want anything? Drink? Food?" you ask, desperate to change the subject and pull your eyes away from her chest.

"Wine?" she asks and you gulp, "I've had a long day."

You nod and go to the kitchen. You open a bottle of red and pour two glasses, then bring them back out to the living room. Dani is sitting on the couch, her legs tucked beneath her. She looks so comfortable and relaxed, and you can't help but smile at the sight of her. You hand her a glass of wine, and she smiles at you in return. You sit down beside her, and she takes a sip.

"Mmm," she says, "This is nice." Dani turns to you, her brows furrowing as if she's sensed your nerves. "What is it?" she asks.

"The last time we drank wine together..." you trail off, taking a drink yourself to stall for time.

"We got a little too close," she says, her voice low, "But that was a long time ago."

"Yeah," you say, "It was." You pause, not knowing what else to say. Dani doesn't seem to mind. She just sips her wine and then sets it down on the coffee table.

"Do you remember how it started?" she asks.

"I don't really want to talk about it," you say, hoping that will end the conversation.

"Oh, come on," she says, "It's not like you to be shy."