#3 Reunion

There we are again. Sitting face to face surrounded by the crowd of cheers. Looking close but also at the same time, distant. You flashed me a little smile. That smile. I want to refrain myself from smiling back but my body doesn’t seem to have the same idea. So without me even have the time to think, I smiled back.

Laughter was heard. Stories were exchanged. Nostalgia.

Our old friend cracked a joke; a funny one that made everyone in the table laughs their hearts out. I haven’t heard their laugh for quite a while. Their laughs, for some reason throws me to the long deep tunnel of time when life was as simple as ABCs. When nothing is more complicated than the algebra formulas our teacher used to teach us in the class. When we thought, we could handle everything in our hands as long as we’re standing side by side. Nothing will keep us apart.

Turns out life are not that simple, right? Things are more complicated than any math formulas we used to learn together back at school. We can’t handle everything in our hands, because the world is far bigger and more complicated that we thought. Even when we’re standing side by side, there’s still some invisible distance keeping us apart.

I caught your eyes glancing at my direction for a split second before that was broken when you turn your head because one of our friends called your name. It’s okay though, that split second is enough for both of us to finally realize something that has been buried deep beneath this thick layer of ego. That invisible barrier.

You never change, you said when the night ends.

So do you.

Four years and not the slightest change of you, and then you laugh.

Four years…

Four years worth of time for me to finally realize, I’m not over you.

Me too…

And then a hug. An awkward friend-to-friend hug. Arm slung awkwardly around the shoulder. Nose buried weirdly on the nape of the necks. Fingers ran hesitantly through the strands of hair. Heart raced rapidly against the cage of ribs. Unspoken words held by the tip of our tongues.

On that very moment we finally realized; something deep down in our hearts never change. Not even a slightest bit. It’s just us who refuse to acknowledge it.

THE END