Time and distance. That was what all your friends said would make things better. You took trips, you focused on yourself, but every so often, your mind went back to that time.
The time when it could’ve all been different.
It started with a simple friendship. Two people, in the mixed up, confusing bloom of youth, finding solace in each other. Shared moments, where you got the only thing that mattered in return: a small smile and the relief that, in spite of you fumbling your words, she understood.
School took you both in separate directions. Years of no contact, of focusing on the next step of your lives and enjoying the moment. It seemed like as much as she was never far from your mind, you were never far from hers either.
Graduation, move home, phone buzzes with a text from a name you hadn’t seen in a while. Turns out she moved home too and wanted to catch up. What started off as a movie night became exploring your high school at night, just to “see how things changed”, but really, it was an excuse to reminisce and reconnect, to think about the easier times, laugh about how childish you both were and how simple things were back then.
Then, a comfortable silence settles in, your hands just barely grazing as you walk her back to her car. You don’t want her leave, but the words stick in your throat. A simple hug goodbye turns into a long, lingering one, you with your arms around her waist and her arms tight around you. You’ve always teased her about how when you hug, her fingers kneading you a bit like a cat making biscuits, but it was something that you loved about her.
Somehow you end up forehead to forehead, staring into each others eyes. All it would take is one small motion, to show her how you feel…but you can’t. Another missed opportunity, another set of words left unsaid, actions left undone, and you part ways again.
“Next time,” you tell yourself, watching her taillights disappear into the night.
"Should anyone present know of any reason that this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace."
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