I brought my hand up to the familiar door and hesitated slightly before rasping the wood three times. I began pondering the thought of taking my mother up on her deal – spending the day at the house and catching up with each other. But honestly, more than anything, I wanted to get this off my chest – I couldn’t keep lying to myself. But before I had the chance to turn away and run, the door opened, revealing a face I hadn’t seen in ages.
“Oh Paige, what I lovely surprise!” she exclaimed, clasping her hands together before pulling me into a motherly embrace. I smiled into the hug, wrapping my arms around her torso. “Hi Mrs. McDonough.” I greeted politely. She pulled away and stared at me; her brown eyes lighting up with joy. She stood there staring at me for about ten seconds, while I shifted from foot to foot on the step nervously.
“Sorry,” she apologized quickly, opening the door wider. “Please, come in.” she suggests, her cheerful tone making my day slightly brighter. Mrs. McDonough had been like a second mother ever since Toby and I became friends. I still remember when I first met her, she had immediately welcomed me with open arms – and I couldn’t be more thankful for that.
I accept her invitation, stepping into the cozy one story home; the smell of Apple Pie hitting my nostrils instantly. I breathed in the delightful aroma and closed my eyes in complete bliss – Toby’s mom made the best pies. Taking in the houses detail, I couldn’t find anything that had changed since I left. I mean, there were some new pictures of the boys performing, but other than that, nothing big seemed to have been removed or added.
“So,” she starts, I whip my head in her direction as she closes the door behidn us. “How long have you been back – Leslie had mentioned they were throwing you a party, but I had other commitments.” She explained, a look of sincerity in her eyes. I couldn’t help but smile at the brunette woman as she did so.
“Actually, I just got back into town yesterday.” I reassured her. Her eyes light up and she clasps her hands together. “That’s great! How was London?” she asks curiously. I let out a sigh of content, London had been, without a doubt, the best experience I could’ve had in my whole life. The people, their culture, everything had felt so surreal. “Everything was great, I got the chance to tour the Parliament building, Buckingham Palace, and I even spent a whole day on the London Eye.” I explain, getting lost in thought just thinking about my adventure.
“I’m so happy for you!” she coos, switching directions towards the kitchen. “I’ll get you something to drink.” She suggests. Before I could decline the offer, she turned on her heel and entered the kitchen; leaving me alone in my own thoughts.
Not a second later, I heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs but I was too lost in thought to pay that any attention. My eyes lingered on the family photos before stopping on one in particular – it was Toby and I, a month after I had moved to town. A cheesy smile was plastered on his face as he stared into the camera. I turned my attention towards myself in the picture; my head was thrown back in laughter and my arms were snaked tightly around Toby’s neck as he gave me a piggy back ride.
“Paige?” someone whispered, and I literally froze in place – I knew that voice all too well. Slowly, I summoned the courage and turned around to face the brunette boy. His eyes were widened and his arms hung loosely at his sides as he stared at me with shock written across his face.
I smiled weakly, “Hi Toby.”
Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Toby ran towards me at full speed. Before I could process what was happening, I found myself being lifted off the ground and the room spun around me. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around his neck and breathed in his scent that I had grown so fond of – vanilla and mint.
When he set me down he didn’t completely let me go, instead he kept his hands on my waist as he looked deep into my eyes. His were still the deep cocoa they had been two years ago, but seeing them now, my breathing hitched in my throat.
“When did you get back?” He asked quickly. Just as I was about to answer, he cut me off with another question.
“How was London?”
“Did you have fun?”
“How was the journalism program over there?”
“Do you plan on going back?”
Questions fired out of the boy like his life depended on it, and I barely had time to catch my breath before more question were brought to my attention. Finally, I let out a deep sigh, sending Toby a knowing look to which he quickly shut up.
He smiled sheepishly, “Sorry, I just, I missed you – a lot.” He explained, a reddish tint appearing on his cheeks as he looked away. Hearing the words coming from his mouth made my heart go all warm and fuzzy inside – he had missed me, he really had.
I smiled in return, “I missed you too.” I breathed out. I watched as Toby’s eyes lit up in delight – like he hadn’t expected me to say it back to him. Of course I would, he had been my best friend, not being able to see him in person for the past two years nearly killed me. Sure, we had an occasional video chat whenever Toby could steal a few minutes away from the tour – which wasn’t that often. It had been so long since I could see him, since I could actually hug him, while I was away it felt as if I was dreaming. Like my conscious had convinced me that deep inside Toby wasn’t real anymore.
“So,” he sighed. “Why’d you stop by?” he asked curiously. In that instant, everything changed, all my positive thoughts and my mood changed as I was brought back to the cold and harsh reality. I guess Toby noticed my change in mood because his eyes widened. “Not that I’m not glad you came by, I just meant that – ” he began rambling. I cut him off with a giggle, some things never change – Toby was still the same shy guy I had befriended nearly four years ago.
“I get it,” I reassured him, tucking a strand of my curly brown hair behind my ear. “I uh … I needed to tell you something.” I explained simply. Toby nodded and waited for me to continue, interested in what I had to say.
My hands trembled down at my sides as I swallowed the lump that had been forming in my throat since I had arrived at the McDonough house. How hard was it to say Toby, I think I like you – more than a friend? It was ten simple words that I had spent practicing in front of a mirror the night before. Maybe I was scared of rejection – that Toby didn’t feel the same way. I mean, if he didn’t, where would that leave us? Everything would be awkward – the Friday movie nights, him coming with me shopping, it would never be the same. And I wasn’t sure if I wanted that to change.
But still, I found myself opening my mouth – and this time, the words flew out of my mouth almost effortlessly. “Toby, you should know that I – ” Before I could finish the sentence that had been on the tip of my tongue, a figure walked into the room. The first thing I noticed was her platinum blonde hair that fell to her mid back. She wasn’t too tall, and couldn’t be older than Toby or I. As she neared us, I noticed the small things about her – her cheeks were full to the brim with freckles; giving her this innocent look. Her eyelashes were long and full as she peered at me through them. Her eyes, which were the color of a cerulean blue crayon, complemented the matching blue blouse she wore. She was absolutely stunning, to say the least.
When she reached us, she draped an arm around Toby’s shoulder; not yet acknowledging the fact that I was in the room. “Toby, your brothers wanted to know if you found it yet.” She explained, sending him a warm smile. Her voice was soft, and slightly on the high pitched side – but it made her sound perfect. The girl turned her head ninety degrees and stared at me a generally surprised expression, like she hadn’t known I had been standing there. “Toby, who’s this?” she asked curiously. He too looks surprised, remembering that the two of us didn’t know each other. He clears his throat, “Delaney, this is Paige – my best friend.” He explains motioning to me. I can’t help but smile – not because I’ve learned the girl’s name. But because I still have the same title to Toby – I’m his best friend, and that right there, is the best thing I could ask for.
“And Paige, this is Delaney – my girlfriend.”