in person in three years.
He wondered if they could be considered friends if they hadn’t talked for a long
time or if they viewed him as only an acquaintance. They would surely recognize him
if they passed him on the street, he pondered. He felt his appearance hadn’t
changed since high school. His skin was still smooth. His head had become littered
with a few grays but that was the only sign he could think of proving he had aged.
William filled his water glass halfway and took a drink.
He knew his friends would always remember him. He knew life gets in the way. They
were all busy working and having families. He thought of sending David a text to
see if he wanted to grab breakfast over the weekend.
The kids had a bedtime, but William gave up enforcing it at the start of summer.
They weren’t sneaking out or making a mess, so he let them do as they pleased.
William lay in bed, scrolling for something to watch. With all the streaming
services Emily subscribed to, the choices felt overwhelming. He missed the days
when you could just turn on the TV and a show was already playing.
Emily came to bed later than usual. When she entered, William stared at her and
could tell she had something on her mind.
“William,” Emily said, sitting on the bed. “We need to talk.”
William sat up, not saying a word. He felt a knot in his stomach.
“The first thing I want to say is that I love you.” She paused. “I do. I know that
you love me too.”
William took a deep breath, unsure of where this conversation was going.
“When we got together all those years ago,” she told him. “I never expected us to
last this long. I seriously thought that we were a summer fling. We would keep each
other occupied until something else came along.”