She rolled her eyes, but her face was still alight with her smile.“Jared Miller, you are still such a flirt!”
He was undeniably a flirt, but she never could resist him.He’d been her closest friend and best defender in school where kids’ taunts could be downright cruel.Her family life was the polar opposite of Jared’s, but he’d never given her any reason to believe that was what he saw when he looked at her.
“Mom told me you opened this place.I’m proud of you, Christa.Let me buy you lunch,” he replied, genuinely happy for her.
“Nope.”She almost laughed out loud when his face suddenly fell.His smile was gone, and confusion shone in his eyes.
“No?Why not?”
“Because I’m making your lunch,” she laughingly replied.“You’re going to eat here, mister!”
“Well, if youinsist,” he teased.
Being back with his friend was the best homecoming present he could’ve asked for, even without realizing she was exactly what he’d needed before that moment.After they’d sat down with their plates, his tone became serious.
“I’ve been a selfish asshole and a terrible friend.You shouldn’t even be happy to see me right now.There’s no excuse for why I’ve stayed away so long.But I wasn’t joking when I said leaving you again would’ve been too hard.”
Internally, he berated himself over his treatment of her.He couldn’t deny the fact that he should’ve sought her out when he came home, but he never could bring himself to do it.It most certainly wasn’t because he didn’t miss her.He didn’t visit herbecausehe missed her too much.Parting again, over and over, would have been too much to ask.
Unsure of how to respond at first, she looked down at her plate to collect her thoughts.“Well, I’m glad you stopped by today.It’s really good to see you again.”
During their extra-long lunch date, one topic easily led into another.Time stood still and flew by simultaneously while they laughed and reconnected.Though the sting was still there, she couldn’t deny how good she felt to have him back, until she noticed him checking his watch.Jared stood reluctantly and looked regretfully at the café door.
“I really should get to my condo now,” he said hesitantly, not wanting to leave her but knowing he had to go.His resolve waned even more when he saw the crestfallen look on her face at his declaration.“The movers probably just left everything in one room.I’ll be lucky to get in the front door.”
“Oh, yeah, okay.Well, it was great to see you, Jared,” she said warmly.“Don’t stay away so long this time.You’re back home, so you have no excuse now.”
“I’ll be around so much, you’ll get sick of seeing me.”
“Not possible.”
She hugged him goodbye and watched him walk across the street to his convertible.She’d never presume to tell him, but knowing he’d intentionally avoided her all those years had hurt her tremendously.She recalled how his mother was so proud of him and everything he’d accomplished in school.Staying in contact with his mother and his sister provided her with a means for constant updates about Jared.One of them had shared information with Christa after every time Jared came home for their family holidays and birthdays.
One specific visit from Patti stood out in her mind.
“Christa,” Patti called out as she entered The Sweet Spot.“I have something for you.”
Christa pasted a smile on her face and was careful to keep up appearances.She knew by her singsong tone Patti had a present for her from Jared.
“Hi, Patti.It’s good to see you.”
Christa would rather he deliver it personally.Using his mother as a courier robbed her of any joy over the thought behind the present.In this case, the thought was not all that counted.Not once did he tell Christa when he’d planned to come home, but Patti always delivered a gift for her from Jared—after he’d left again.The gifts were bittersweet since he’d thought enough of her to send her a small token, but not enough to give her a minute of his time.He didn’t think enough of her to pick up the phone and call her or come by to see her.All those times had delivered one crushing blow after the other.
“Jared said to tell you hello, and he’s sorry he couldn’t come by to see you while he was home.But this is from him.Merry Christmas!”
Inside the expertly wrapped box was a silver frame that held a picture of the two of them from high school.She was riding on his back, leaned over his shoulder, and they were both laughing.Her legs were wrapped around his waist, his hands on her bare thighs while he carried her over the small creek.He’d joked with her over the ankle-deep water, telling her she’d drown if he didn’t carry her.
“Tell him I said thank you.If I’d known he’d be here, I would’ve mailed a present to your house for him.”
Patti’s smile faltered for only a second before she turned it up again.“I will definitely pass the message on to him.”
But suddenly, after seven long years of no-shows, he simply walked back into her life and directly into her business.He offered no real explanation for why he’d stayed away from her, other than the lame excuse of how much he missed her, and she hadn’t demanded anything more of him.She scolded herself for simply letting him back into her life with open arms only because she was happy to see him again.
She watched him drive away and felt that old familiar pain in her chest, and she wondered how long it would be before he showed back up again.
Jared reachedhis new condo and found it exactly as he had suspected.The movers were unable to discern the boxes marked “kitchen” should, in fact, be left in the kitchen.The same could be said for every other room and every box that was carefully labeled.He spent the rest of the day and well into the night moving, organizing, and unpacking the mountain of boxes.When his stomach growled loudly, he realized he’d been so busy that he hadn’t eaten since Christa had made lunch for him earlier in the day.
Christa.Just the thought of her evoked a multitude of emotions in him.Seeing her, then leaving her, had been so much harder than he’d ever thought.During their conversation, the first thing he noticed about her was how much she’d changed in the time he’d been away.
