Evan couldn't believe his eyes, and he wasn't the only one. Just as he stared in disbelief at the guy in front of him, he stared back.
It wasn't until his gaze began to cloud over that Evan took a few steps forward and in that instant, Riley opened his arms. And even though he looked insecure, as if he wasn't sure if Evan really wanted to see him, he didn't have to worry because Evan was in his arms in a second.
The first thing Evan noticed as they hugged was that they were now the same height. Six years ago, the last time he'd seen him, he'd barely been able to reach his shoulder and now that he had him in his arms, he had nowhere to hide. It was a clear demonstration of how much had changed over the years, but one thing was still the same. Riley was his favourite cousin.
He held his favourite cousin in his arms.
His scent hadn't changed, and the wolf in him was glad to smell home again - the one scent he couldn't forget, even after all these years.
Evan liked to say that he wasn't an emotional person, but at that moment, he felt like screaming and crying at the same time. Riley was there. He was in his arms, and Evan wasn't going to let him go. Not this time. Not again.
"You're so tall." Riley finally spoke, and the same emotion Evan felt inside was audible in his voice. But that wasn't all. Evan was pleased to find that although he hadn't heard his voice in years, he had never forgotten it, and it still sounded the same, even if it was now tinged with tears.
He couldn't answer, though, as his throat was tight, and he knew that the moment he would open his mouth, years of pent-up grief would pour out.
In the end, he didn't need to, for after a moment Riley pulled away a little, but he didn't break their embrace. Instead, he did something that touched Evan even more.
"Come here, Angie."
Evan turned his head to look at his best friend, and while he was still able to hold back the tears, Angie's cheeks were long since wet. He couldn't look at them for long though, because she didn't hesitate for a second after Riley's words and threw herself against his right side. And Riley held her as tightly as he had Evan.
It was as if they were little children again. They cuddled up to him while Riley reassured them that everything was all right after a nightmare. The only thing that suggested that years had passed was Evan's height and the fact that he wouldn't let him out of his arms so easily this time.
"I've missed you so much." His voice broke with each word, but Riley clearly didn't care.
"I've missed you too." Evan finally managed to speak, though his words didn't express half of what he was going through. His joy and sadness were intertwined with curiosity, and he had no idea what to say first. As much as he didn't want this moment to end, he also wanted to hear what his cousin had been up to in the six years he hadn't seen him.
And so, in the end, it was he who was the first to break their embrace and take a step back. Angie reluctantly followed his example and, like him, kept no more than an arm's length away. This time they were both prepared to stop Riley if he tried to slip out of their lives again. From the look on his face, however, there was no such threat.
Evan's hand came to his face to wipe away the few treacherous tears that had managed to escape despite his best efforts, and Riley did the same. Despite the gesture, however, there was no longer a trace of sadness on his face, instead, he gave Evan a broad smile. And it wasn't long before Evan returned it.
"What are you doing here?" was Riley's first question when he finally found the words.
"We're here with our school. A field trip for the juniors," Angie explained as she took over the answer.
"Juniors," Riley repeated in disbelief. The last time he'd seen them, they weren't even in high school, so his reaction was understandable. But then he realised something else he couldn't believe about this explanation. "Your parents let you go to New York?"
"We were all shocked." Riley only now seemed to realise that they weren't the only ones here, and probably only now made the connection that the blue-haired girl had called their names earlier.
"This is Lola and Aiden, our friends," Evan jumped right into the introductions, stepping back so that Riley could get a good look at them, although it was obvious that he'd seen them before.
"Hi. We've heard a lot about you." Lola gave him a smile, and Riley's gaze went soft before darting briefly to his cousin and then back to the blue-haired girl. "You have?"
"Of course," Angie interjected, and Evan just nodded silently, too caught up in his own emotions. He certainly wasn't ashamed of not being able to forget his cousin, and even though he seemed to be in the same place, Evan knew that a lot could have changed in those six years.
"Angie talks a lot in general," Aiden added, and this time he couldn't avoid Angie's hand landing on his chest.
His plan to lighten the mood worked like a charm, though, and it wasn't just Riley who couldn't help but chuckle.
"Looks like at least one thing hasn't changed," Riley assessed with a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
Evan decided to take that as an opportunity and replied, "We can tell you about everything that's changed if you have time." His tone wasn't entirely confident and he barely kept himself from starting to play with his own hands out of nervousness, but for some reason, he was convinced deep down that his cousin wouldn't turn him down. And he was right.
"Of course I do," Riley replied without hesitation. "I can show you where I live if you want."
"Really?" Evan hadn't expected an outright invitation to his home, but he couldn't say he wasn't pleased.
"All your friends are welcome if you want," Riley added, his eyes sweeping over all the teenagers present.
"We'd love to," Lola replied, and Aiden just nodded in agreement.
"Great," Riley judged. "I have to stay here for another hour, what are your plans? Do you have any more activities planned with the school?"
"Not really," Evan finally decided to speak up again. "We're supposed to meet at the bus in about an hour to make sure none of us got lost and then we're free."
"So there's a chance they'll let you come with me?" Riley sounded hopeful, and although Evan wasn't one to argue with teachers, this time he was prepared to do whatever was necessary.
"I don't think that will be a problem," he replied. "Besides, you're family, so I'm sure that means you can take responsibility for me."
Evan could have sworn he saw Riley's eyes glaze over at the word family, but he nodded instead of reigniting the emotional atmosphere. "Maybe I can talk to them. I don't know which teachers are here with you."
"Oh, you don't know them," Evan explained immediately. "I go to Marwell High School, not North Hallson High School."
Riley seemed more than surprised by this revelation. "Thomas and Emily let you go to an out-of-town high school?"
"I asked Lucas first," Evan revealed with a satisfied smile and an innocent shrug.
Riley shook his head in disbelief, but also looked amused. It was the second thing he'd learned that he definitely hadn't expected, and Evan was sure he had at least one more in store.
But before Evan could give his cousin another shock, their conversation was interrupted. "Hey! Riley!"
They all automatically turned in the same direction. Some guy was walking towards them, followed by a group of students who looked like they, like Evan and his friends, were here for a tour of the campus.
"Are you free? We could use a few more people for the activities. Lisa and Monty are on their lunch break." His words were addressed to Riley.
Riley turned to his cousin as if to make sure he was okay with this, and although it surprised Evan, he was quick to respond. "Go. We still have a lot of places we haven't seen yet. Besides, we still have an hour. We can call each other later?" Although it was meant as a suggestion, it sounded more like a question. Evan hadn't been in contact with Riley for years, so it was strange to ask for his phone number.
"Right." Riley nodded immediately and pulled his phone out of his pocket. With a quick movement he unlocked it and then handed it to Evan so that he could enter his phone number. And because he wanted to be one hundred percent sure that he had Riley's too, he made a quick call as well.
"Here." Evan handed the phone back to him right after that, but before they could each head off to their groups of friends, Riley asked, "Meet me at the same place in 45 minutes? If anything changes, we'll call each other."
This time it was Evan who immediately agreed, and so they parted ways again, this time with plans to meet again. Still, for the next 45 minutes, Evan had a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach that made him doubt his cousin, even though it wasn't fair of him to do so. He just couldn't help himself. Thankfully, less than an hour passed quickly and when Evan returned to the same spot, Riley was already there, waiting for him.
Evan barely stopped himself from running into his arms again.
It was a silly thought, Evan couldn't help it. There was a fear in the back of his mind that told him Riley could disappear before his eyes at any moment, and even though he had his phone number now, it didn't reassure him. Luckily, Evan had enough experience of pretending that everything was fine so he hoped that nothing would show on his face.
He managed to keep his mask of calm all the way to the bus, where he and his friends pulled Riley. He, unlike Evan, wasn't hiding anything, and his face made it clear that he was thrilled to see his cousin.
"Mrs. Simons!"
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Since Wattpad has adjusted the terms, characters under 18 are not allowed to do more than hold hands and kiss. Stories that do not comply will be deleted. So needless to say, it's only a matter of time. I don't know when it will happen, but if you won't be able to find this story, don't worry. So far I only have a backup on Tapas, but I'm also thinking about Inkitt and Ao3. Let me know if you use any other reading platform and would like to see this story there.