The Way We Were

n the worn porch of the Thompson house, Ava Whitmore leaned back in the squeaky swing, one leg tucked under her as she sipped a cold lemonade. The air

me a familiar voic

, head tilted like he could read her thoughts if he just looked hard enough. His dark brown curls were a mess, f

ing him a sideways glance. "W

her shoulder with his.

e about to leave behind eve

lly looked at her-the way only someon

be fine, Ava.

er voice barely above the hum of the cica

" he replied. "Isn

r along the rim of her glass. "Yeah, but it's scary. You an

mfortably. "Who s

cross. The unspoken question that had lingered for y

should get home. Mom's making chicken pot pie, and if I'm late, sh

he'll still guilt you over

he sound soft

g into step like they always had-her left, his right. Thei

packed?"

stl

an h

ou get distracted by my books or

improving y

system doesn't

her again, and there was something in

at the edge of her drivew

pen

appens this year... we

hesi

tures. They'd told each other they could handle it, that their friendship was too s

e said finally,

it didn't quite

-

f her dorm room, surrounded by boxes and cha

club meeting. The walls were still bare, the air sterile, and the reality of col

a

hop I told you about? The

v

ce. How did you even

a

nd because you like pl

v

ike ch

a

at's the

her room again,

v

rd withou

pause, the

a

h.

Wanted to tell him she missed him already. That every second in th

tossed the phone onto the bed

-

meetings, parties. Ava made friends-some close, som

ird campus sightings. But the space between their messages grew with time zones and schedules and the

sday Addams, sitting on a balcony with a red c

hone

a

fr

fore she coul

v

iving this

a

na

dn't h

v

wa

his face filled her screen, she f

rm, messy hair,

exhausted,

ou haven't shave

aven

"How's it goi

Good.

am

. Then Jace said,

blin

O

lon. She's in m

That's.

hing for a moment,

asked, a lit

should... you deser

do y

smile, but it did

didn't thin

hink you wo

sat between

throat. "Anyway.

ank her. He

" she said. "

. Talk

Of co

ng up

-

t on a few dates. Smiled through the awkwardness. Kissed

they wer

to forget how he made her feel only

-

ted in snow. Lights twinkled on every porch, a

that same porch swing, wra

tes later, taller someh

ranger,"

Whit

r. They didn't s

ace said, "Fallo

ed at hi

I wasn't really with her. That pa

thudded. "An

lly looke

ow wher

Thick.

"Maybe we were always mea

just too scar

y. They sat there, snow falling quietly around them, hea

cold was biting at the edges of her blanket, but she hardly felt it. Not when her skin was ting

," Jace said, his voice low, "when you ma

I forget? You stepped

hreatened to dump your punch on my head if

light and real. "You

ved," he

rel

but it faded as q

covered lawn. "Even back then. Like, maybe that's when I first

him sharply, h

u d

Marsh by seventh grade, remember? And then

er said

," he murmured. "What if

eir joined hands. "I

lifted.

rst crush, Jace. But I was scared too. I t

really looked. "So we

. And maybe we go

didn't need to be filled, but now pressed

ushed hers. "Do you ever wonder what

ime," she

g through the nearby trees, but all Ava could feel was

hought college would make things clearer. That maybe

t?" sh

ice tight. "It just m

emory they'd built, every near-confession they'd b

y. "Then why didn't yo

different cities, meeting new people, starting over. I didn't wa

aid, cutting h

eath c

to something that only existed in my head. But every time I talked to you,

d of hair from her f

we weren't m

meant for each other this whole time,

ld hear it. His hand cupped her cheek now, hi

closing the space between them with

s lips tasted like peppermint gum and so

r foreheads pressed together

o that for so lon

er cheek with his thumb. But the mom

ack slightly

k. "We're going back to school in a few

kno

s to be just a ho

care about distance. If we've made it thi

tainty still flickering i

gers through his. "I've never

-

what had just happened. They had kissed. After all these years, after so many almos

lives. How do you go from years of friends

phone. A message w

a

stil

v

Can't

a

o meet at the lake

v

old t

a

like o

-

cting the pale pink sunrise. It was the same lake they'd spent summers swimming

in his coat pockets, watching

aid when he

lied, walking

a moment, just watc

aid, "we once ma

ked. "Wh

e your parents were fighting a lot, and I said we'

faintly. "I

eant

di

not going to be easy. We'll fight. We'll

im. "But we'll

Yeah. That's

her gloved hand into his. "

ve. It was filled with a kind of relief, like somethin

rt, she leaned her h

bly tell our mom

oing to cry. Mine's going

lanning it fo

laugh. "She used to say

asn't

hing, watching the world wake up around them. For once, Ava didn't feel li