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Isaac's flight from Seattle was on time and set to land in Atlanta at 3pm. I checked the airline website while I was stopped at a traffic light on my way to the airport, and my hands were shaking as I held my phone.
Isaac and I had been talking on the phone every day, sometimes for hours. I would paint set pieces while I had earbuds in my ears so I could talk to him while I worked. We had shared a lot with each other and gotten close, and we never once made a video call. We never even mentioned it. I had photos of Isaac and his family that I looked at from time to time, but I had never been on a video call with him, which was amazing considering how much we had talked during the last couple of weeks.
It was impossible for me to believe I would see him in person today.
I stared straight ahead at the empty carousel at baggage claim, waiting for his flight to land. I had gotten to the airport right on time and easily found the area where I was supposed to wait for him.
It was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and I was thinking of everything that would happen in the next few days. I imagined taking Isaac home to meet my family. I was nervous about it. I had told my mom that I broke up with Eddie and that my friend from Seattle was coming with me, but I had not let her in on everything that was going on.
If I had told my mother then my whole family would know. They would get really into it and want to read the book and it would be all built up. And I just didn't want that for Isaac's first visit. I was nervous, though, because I was sure they would wind up finding out. I was having deep thoughts about it when I heard my name.
"Ari Moreno," it was a man's voice, but it wasn't Isaac's. I turned and saw a young, hip-looking man who was about my age. He had a trimmed beard and he looked well put together. He was smiling and looking directly at me, but I did not know for the life of me who he was. "Kai Scarpetti," he said. "California."
"Oh, my gosh, Kai, how are you? What are you doing in Atlanta?"
"I live here now."
"You're kidding!"
"No, yeah, I've been here for about five years. I forgot you were from Georgia. That's so crazy. It's been like, what fifteen years? We were babies."
"I know. I can't believe you recognized me. What are the chances after all these years?"
"I'd know you anywhere, Ari. Those big, brown eyes. Are you still dancing?"
"Yeah, yeah. Not nearly as much. I have something coming up this weekend, but I'm not sure how many more I'll do. I'm managing a studio, so I'm still choreographing and I'm around dance all the time. I was just there before I came here."
"That's amazing. What studio?"
"Studio Revolution. It's up in Buckhead, but we're about to open a second location closer to downtown."
"Gosh, Ari, I've heard of that place. I went and got a boring old job in sales."
"In sales? You look like you're still dancing," I said, looking him over.
He smiled and shrugged. "It's yacht sales, so it's pretty cool, but still. I can't believe you're dancing after all these years. That's awesome."
"Hey."
It was Isaac who said it, and he was standing right next to me. I hadn't even been able to watch his approach. I had no time to prepare myself. There was no dramatic romantic reunion. He had to walk up to me and basically tap me on the shoulder to cut into my conversation.
"Hey!" I said, turning to him. I stared into his unmistakable green eyes. My heart melted, and my look of surprise turned into a shy smile. "Hey, Isaac."
We stared at each other.
"Well, hey, Ari, I'm going to let you go."
"Okay, Kai, great seeing you," I said. Try as I might, I could not take my eyes off of Isaac when I spoke to Kai. Isaac saw that I was unable to break the stare, and he saved me. He looked away and reached out to shake Kai's hand.
"I’m Isaac Alexander."
"Kai Scarpetti. Ari and I were childhood friends. We danced some together out in California. We did that episode of Lizzie McGuire together. Remember that, Ari?"
"Yes. How could I forget?"
"Well, I see my brother coming, and I'm sure you two are ready to catch up. Hey, it was good seeing you, though, and nice meeting you, Isaac. I'll look you up at Studio Revolution sometime."
I nodded, and Isaac and I both told Kai goodbye, but it was all we could do to get through the conversation. We were both in a different world—each other's world.
