Scarlett

Chapter 17: Childhood friendship

"This is the best surprise!" Steve hugged me one more time before we sat down on the couch in his flat. I smiled at his cheerfulness. It resembled that of his mother. I was just as glad to meet him. We sat in the living room of the old apartment. The walls were freshly painted with a tinge of light blue and the room was decorated with potted plants around the corners. The room smelled fresh, and the fragrance was almost like the smell of a garden. A dim light hung over the couch that barely lit the room.

"I assumed that I would have to reintroduce myself. I was not sure if you would recognise me." I meekly confessed. 

"I am deeply hurt by your assumption." He said and dramatically placed his hand on his chest, over his heart. It made me giggle.

Deep down, I knew that the man in front of me was no longer my childhood best friend. Time had come in between us and had separated the two of us. Time stole him from me and it changed him a lot. He had changed for good, I did not doubt that. But there was a constant doubt that surrounded me and it asked me if I really knew the man who sat next to me. I agreed to myself that I did not know anything about Steve. He was not the six year old who climbed trees with me or shared breakfast with me at school. He was not the little boy with ruffled hair, whose cloudy eyes shed tears every time I stole his chocolate. The thought suddenly made me conscious of my own presence in the little room. I tried to contemplate my decision of travelling so far to meet him. It was not that I did not feel safe around him, but the constant thought of having nothing in common with Steve somehow made me feel distant and uneasy. 

Time has changed me too but I was not sure if it was for good or not. Sometimes I failed to respect my purpose in life, the purpose that I was still unaware of. All the while, I knew that I had a reason to live, whatever may be the reason. But the recent events that revealed the truth about my time to live changed my idea of having any purpose at all. I did not know why I was alive and I wished to know why I did not die on that day, fourteen years ago. It would have been easier that way, I was sure about it. Life would have been simple for all. 

"What are you thinking about? You seem lost." Steve raised an eyebrow and I realised that I had zoned out for a while.

"I was just thinking about how I used to steal your chocolates back in the days." I lied.

"Ah, I miss those days." There was a dreamy look on his face when he recalled old memories.

"Do you remember much? I mean, everything is clear to me, all the memories are clear because I have very few of them. It gets a little confusing sometimes, I admit but you have, you know, so much to remember..." I trailed off, unable to find the right words to explain.

"I do have a lot to remember but there are different things. They do not impact my experiences and memories as a child. Not going to lie but I would have probably remembered less if I had not lost my best friend. It was a big deal to me back then and I remember how much I cried when my parents told me that you had moved away. I was angry and upset. I was a kid, but I remember it all very clearly." Steve confessed.

"It must have been so hard, I am sorry." I did not know why I apologised but I felt a tiny bit of guilt within me for causing pain to the people who loved and cared about me.

"Are you kidding me? Can you please not say that? I should be the one to say that to you. It is hard to imagine what you must have gone through. That pain is nothing compared to mine. I don't want to remind you of all that if you are not comfortable but always remember to not apologise for what you have not done." He said. His words worked like magic. The smallest thing that he said suddenly made so much sense. I could see the light in the room brighter and clearer. I felt warmth wash over me. I needed that. I needed the support and motivation. I needed my best friend. Now that I had my best friend back, I no longer felt any distance between us. We were the same old Scarlett and Stevie that we had once been, inseparable always.