Bridge

Closure

I could already see the Manhattan skyline. Against the sunset, it looked like alight kindling. The tires of the plane screeched as it touched down on JFK's runway. An increasing sense of excitement started making its way through my body. I could already smell the cigarettes, car exhaust, and coffee waiting for me outside. 

Once outside of the arrivals gate it didn't take long until I spotted Noah. 

"Finn!" he rushed to me with his arms open. 

"Noah!" I said, matching his excitement.

He grabbed my suitcase and guided me to his car. It was a luxurious blue cabriolet. He put my suitcase in the trunk, I left my weekender in the backseat. Noah got in the car and faking a thick Italian New York accent he asked, " Where to, pal? It's a busy night."

"Hey, that's pretty good" I answered as I put a cigarette to my mouth. I lit it and added and the car tires screeched as Noah accelerated.

It didn't take long until we were speeding on Interstate 678. "So how was LA?" Noah asked.

"Gotta be honest with you, Schnapp, I was already missing the East Coast."

"I hear ya," his silence after that said it all.

"No, I didn't see Millie." 

He acted surprised, "I wasn't gonna ask!" I looked at him in the eyes. "But since you brought the subject..."

"Schnapp, don't start. Besides, isn't she still dating this Jake guy?"

"Old flames die hard."

I gave him a half-hearted chuckle. "Fuck...why are you so invested in this? What's in it for you?"

"Seeing you two idiots happy...or at least get some closure, you guys think we didn't see, but we know you two were never the same after the last season."

I leaned back in my seat, raised my foot to rest on the counter, and closed my eyes. "We don't need closure, there was nothing to close," I said.

"Hey, that's Italian leather!" he slapped my foot. He kept driving, eyeing me from time to time. "So, you would be okay with seeing her again?"

I hummed in affirmation, looking absentmindedly out the window. We were nearing the east river.

"Well, it's a good thing she's coming next week then." Noah eyed me with a grin, waiting for my response.

"It'll be good seeing her again. You taking the Brooklyn bridge?" I said changing the subject.

"You know I am." I copied Noah's smile. "And you know I'm right about you getting closure as well. We all want what's best for you Finn."

I spared him a thankful glance.

After five years of living in New York, driving across the Brooklyn Bridge was still one of my favorite things to do and I was glad Noah had picked the cabriolet. The golden hour long gone, all that remained was a bluish hue that made the lights of the city pop out like Christmas lights on a tree. It was really one of the best experiences to have. As we neared the Brooklyn Bridge I grabbed my phone and singled to Noah. "May I?"

"Be my guest."

I connected my phone to the car radio. "I fucking love this city," Noah said. I smiled. 

When we entered the bridge,  we couldn't feel anything but David Bowie's voice, the wind, and New York City. The cables passing us by, the towers enveloping us for one second only to spit us out the next, and the buildings in the distance, so massive they remained static provoked a trance. If you asked me, entering Manhattan through the Brooklyn Bridge was better than any ride at Coney Island.