Chapter 1 I'm down if...
I walked into the halls of the former high school that I went to, feeling like I was as out of place right now as I was back then. I looked at the staid lockers, seeing the boring color, and the grotesque floor that was there.
I can’t believe people still went to this damn place. I walked into the gym, where apparently the reunion was being held, and I saw a couple of familiar people there. Most of them were definitely a bit bigger than they were before, but some looked like they never left high school.
“Hey there Nina,” a voice said.
I turned around, and there was Daniel. He was actually a good friend of mine during high school, and a chill theater kid. I saw him with a familiar face as well, a guy named Joey that I remembered he was in theater with him as well.
“Hey! Long time no see.”
“It has been. Definitely a while. So long that we ended up getting together,” Daniel joked.
I nodded, smiling at them.
“Well congrats!”
“Thanks! Have you heard from Liz at all?” Daniel asked.
I stiffened at those words.
“I haven’t seen her since graduation,” I said.
I felt a bit upset when I thought about that. I mean, Liz and I were best friends back in high school. We did everything together, and people always thought that we were going out. But, we never got past our first kiss, which I gave to her the day we graduated. So, I don’t even know if she accepted it or not.
“Well that’s a shame. I hope she’s here then,” Daniel said.
I looked around, not expecting Liz to show up to these kinds of things. She was a rich girl, and honestly, I always felt like she seemed to have her eyes set on inheriting her father’s company more than a relationship. She was close to me, but we were never truly close.
I looked around the place, seeing everyone but her, including the school bully who ended up apologizing to me. Of course, she looks about ten years older than I do, and she has two kids and a pretty bad job. I have to say, I definitely won the battle on that front.
I looked all around for her, but I didn’t see her at all. I didn’t feel like sticking around, so I got ready to leave, but that’s when I heard a sound.
“Nina?” the voice asked.
I turned, and in front of me was a familiar blonde-haired blue-eyed cutie that I remembered from those years ago. She was dressed in designer outfits, and she looked at me with surprise.
“Liz!” I cried out.
We walked over, embracing one another. I realized by this point, that it was the start of something new. I felt my heart thump as we touched, my body immediately reacting to her.
“How you been?” she asked.
“Pretty good. Been mostly just bouncing from my last job to my current job. What about you?”
“Oh, you know? Basically, been running the family company. Normal shit,” she said.
“Oh, so you’re still working for your dad? That’s good,” I said.
Though, a part of me already didn’t like that. I mean, I did have feelings for Liz still, but I know that her dad was a bit of a douche when it came to who she dated. I remember him forbidding her from dating back when we were younger, which was why I never made a move on her. But when I looked at her now, I wanted to say something, anything to possibly propel this forward.
“Yeah. But, it’s been rough. My dad has mostly been pushing me to run the business and doesn’t care at all about my own personal feelings. So, I’ve mostly just kept myself busy to not think much on it,” she explained.
I could tell that she was being ran quite hard by her dad, and I felt for her.
“I see. Well, let’s take it easy. I mean, you’re at a reunion. You don’t need to be working,” I said.
She finished texting one person, and then, she put her phone away, smiling at me.
“You’re right. Why should I worry about what someone has to say right now? My best friend is here, and I mean…it’s been a long time. We should catch up,” she said.
“We should,” I replied.
The two of us grabbed some of the punch they had sitting outside, stepping over to the little area outside where some of the other people were talking. But, I could tell that Liz wasn’t comfortable here.
“Uhh, is there a chance we can go ditch this place? I don’t want to stick around,” she said.
I looked around, seeing if there was anyone else worth speaking to.
“I’m down if you are,” I told her happily.
We both quickly got our things, deciding to go to the little coffee shop we used to hang out at during our senior year. It was a better place, and I could tell from the way Liz looked that we had a lot of catching up to do, and a lot that we wanted to say.
And why not?
I felt my heart skip a beat the moment I saw her once again. I didn’t expect Nina to show up honestly. I mean, Nina was someone that I had a lot of feelings for, even after we finished school. I had to put them on the backburner in order to get my education finished so that I could work my way to taking over the company, which was essentially the plan.
We sat down, the awkward tension still there. I felt a bit nervous, seeing that Liz was in a small black suit that was probably secondhand. I mean, she wasn’t the richest person out there, but it looks like her job wasn’t that great thus far.
“So….”
“So, what happened after graduation? I mean, I didn’t hear from you ever again after that. I didn’t know if you were okay honestly. I wasn’t even expecting you to come out,” Nina began
I hesitated, feeling a bit guilty that I never told her what happened after all of that
“Well, immediately after graduation, my dad put me into a program to get me ready to be the CEO of his company in about five years. That’s essentially what I’ve been doing. It was a college education, but it also involved a rigorous internship that tore me apart. I almost quit, but I wanted to take over the company. I wanted to show my dad that I was worth it,” I told Nina.
I know I did put my father on a pedestal, and I know that Nina and he didn’t get along very well, but she smiled.
“I see, so your dad was calling the shots for a while.”
“You could say that. But, I should’ve said something. Honestly…I had a lot on my mind after graduation. About what we might mean to each other, about our future…about us,” I explained.
I mean, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about the kiss when I said those words. She looked at me, nodding as I uttered them.
“I’m sorry for what I did the day of graduation by the way. I read the signs wrong. I didn’t mean to scare you off. If that’s the reason why you didn’t want to speak with me all those years ago, I totally understand,” Nina explained.
“Oh no! I mean…I was a bit nervous about what that might mean. But just so you know, I didn’t hate it. In fact, I kind of wondered about trying it again,” I explained.
Nina looked at me with surprise, and I laughed.
“If you’re wondering whether or not I did it with another woman, the answer is no. Back when I was in my training program, I didn’t have much else on my mind other than finishing it. Plus…I didn’t really find any other woman I worked near to be as interesting as you. You were my best friend Nina, and honestly, I couldn’t find anyone who would compare,” I explained.
Nina looked surprised.
“That’s quite an admirable thing to say.”
“That’s because it’s the truth. I’ve…kind of been stuck on you for a long time. I didn’t want to admit it to myself, but that’s the way I’ve been. I just…I was scared to admit it. I told myself that if I did ever see you again, whether that be a year, five years, or even twenty down the road, I wanted to tell you that the kiss we shared was my first, and it was something I didn’t regret, and I would do it again,” I admitted.
I did think about that day a lot, even though I imagined that it was almost like a dream in a way. But, she smiled.
“Thank you for that Liz. You know, I’ve thought about it too. I don’t have a girlfriend either. Just been focusing on me. I got my degree, I did try dating for a bit in college, but I couldn’t get past the first date, because none of the girls really compared to you, so it was hard to build that connection,” she said.
“I guess that makes two of us,” I told her.
The awkward silence shared between us made me want to fill the air with something, I just didn’t know what. But then, Nina spoke.
“I mean, if you want…we could go out again, if that’s something you want to maybe try,” she offered.
I thought about it. I know my dad would be asking about this, but I wanted to take a chance, to try something new. I looked at Nina and smiled.
“It’s a date. How about we go to dinner next Friday?” I offered.
“That would be awesome,” Nina replied, a smile on her face.
I looked at the other woman, feeling the excitement of the moment. I mean, it was obvious that Nina had been waiting just as long as I was for something like this.
“Then I’ll make sure you have an amazing time,” I told her with a purr.
There was that desire to have her right then and there, to pick up where we left off those five years ago, but I didn’t pursue that. I didn’t want to. I immediately headed back to my car, driving home, and when I got there, I heard my phone ring. I picked it up, hearing my dad’s voice.
“Hey there sweetie!”
“Hey dad. What’s the matter?” I asked.
“Oh, just wanted to let you know that I have another appointment for you. I know that we discussed you finding a potential partner at some point, so I wanted to see if you would still do this,” he asked.
I immediately stiffened. I did this in the past because I didn’t have any other choices, but now that Nina was back in the picture, I wanted to pursue her, and not this fake relationship shit.
“I’m not interested father,” I said.
There was a pause, and then I heard his throat clear.
