Hearts

one

Shawna glanced at my phone. "Are you sure I can't talk you out of this and into staying home and taking classes at a community college or picking up a job in retail? Does any of that sound the least bit appealing to you?"

I picked up my phone.

"Graham."

I grinned. "Yes, darling?"

"Put that down."

"And then what?" I asked.

"And then you don't die."

"Too bad I lowkey have a death wish," I said, and I hit send.

♥ ♥ ♥

Going on a coffee date with Romeo Zaveri used to be a routine event. Neither of us drank coffee, but we'd meet up at this coffee shop that was exactly halfway between our houses, order our non-caffeinated drinks, and talk for hours until one of us eventually had to leave. It was usually him. The last time we had done this was the last time we talked.

A few days ago, after I had texted Romeo for the first time in years, he had replied almost immediately. This was surprising because I hadn't been expecting an answer at all. The bigger surprise was that he wanted to meet up in person. So now, years since the last time I was in this coffee shop, I had returned.

Romeo was waiting for me when I stepped inside, but I pretended not to see him. With the extra time that bought me, I scanned the place and did my best to collect myself.

"Graham! You're early."

Okay. Here goes absolutely everything.

I checked my watch. "By, like, thirty seconds. Why are you here? You've never been early."

Romeo shrugged. "I didn't want to let you get here before me and think that I wasn't going to show up, so I played it safe today."

I was flattered. I meant it when I said that he was never early. To anything. Ever.

"I also ordered you lemonade," he added. "I hope that's okay. I remember you used to get it all the time. You don't have to pay me back."

"Okay, thanks. That's great. Awesome." In my eagerness to get to this moment, I had forgotten how awkward this could be.

"Let's sit down," Romeo suggested. He reached out to grab my wrist like he used to when he wanted me to follow him, but then thought better of it. He crossed his arms, turned around, and led me to the booth that we used to always claim. I sat down and took a sip of lemonade.

When we were friends, we weren't really the type of people who enjoyed each other's company in silence. There used to always be so much to say, and any moment when neither of us were talking seemed like a waste. Now, it was silent between us. Which one of us was supposed to speak first? I wanted it to be him, but when I couldn't take it anymore, I asked him a question.

"Are you ever gonna tell me what happened?"

"What happened?" Romeo echoed.

"Yeah," I said. "What happened between then and now."

"I mean, if you wanna know, then sure. Eventually."

He loved to keep secrets for the fun of it. This was still as frustrating as it used to be.

It had been a really long time since I had gotten a good look at Romeo's face, I realized. I saw him often, but it had been years since the last time we made eye contact.

"Don't do that," he said. "I feel like you're chipping away at my soul."

I almost laughed. Before I could stop myself, my guard was down. "As if you have one."