The reunion

Chapter 1

         

              Zander could feel his heart beat fast against his chest. He was sweating and his hands were shaking from all the nervousness he felt. He was walking through the halls of Lakeshore Fine Arts with Hailey,Jake,Milly,and Sean. Lakeshore was a huge college that only the most talented kids got into. This was also the college that Luke goes to. Luke wasn't able to find good drummer opportunities at near by colleges so he applied to Lakeshore Fine Arts,got accepted,and left to pursue his dreams and study there. It's been 3 years since Zander and the rest of their friends have seen him. The school year ended already for them and Hailey brought up the idea of surprising Luke so that's why they were roaming through the halls,looking for him. The halls were packed. A lot of kids passing by and talking. Classrooms full of people doing a lot of art related things. The halls were pretty bright too,not a single dark spot anywhere. Zander wondered how Luke would react when he saw them again. Luke and Zander had tried to keep in contact with each other but it didn't work out well since they got busy with college.           "I miss him so much.I can't wait to see him again" was the one thought Zander kept repeating in his mind. He missed Luke too much since they're very close and he never got the chance to tell Luke how he felt before he left. Maybe he could tell him now but he wasn't sure yet. He didn't want to add more stress to Luke's college life.

         The bell rang. A swarm of kids came coming out from their classrooms at the same time some other kids went into their classrooms. It must be lunch time for the higher year students. That means Luke would be coming out soon.

"Let's go to the cafeteria and see if we can find Luke there" Hailey said as she pointed down the hall that lead to the cafeteria. "Alright let's get going! I can't wait to see the look on Luke's face when he sees us!" Milly cheered out as she ran ahead. Zander smiled. He was glad that he had his friends and all but they didn't quite get him like Luke. Still,there were times they managed to put a smile on his face. "Milly wait for us!" Jake yelled out as he ran to catch up. Hailey sighed and smiled as she picked up her pace to not be left behind. Sean smiled and ran to catch up as well. Zander kept his pace the same because he didn't want to risk getting in trouble for running through the halls. When they got to the cafeteria,they split into groups to look for Luke. They decided it would be faster to find him this way. Zander searched around near the food area,calling Luke's name. He wasn't watching where he was going so he accidentally bumped into someone. "Oh I'm sorry,I wasn't watching where I was going" Zander apologized as he started to back away. The person he had bumped into turned to face him and their eyes immediately widen. "Zander is that you?!" The person said with an extremely shocked face. Zander's eyes widen as big as saucers and he immediately turned stiff. Yes he had prepared to see Luke again but he didn't think the moment would come so soon. All Zander could do was nod.

         Luke didn't say a word but ran over to Zander and hugged him. "I missed you so much Zander" Luke whispered in his ear as his grip tightened. Zander blushed but slowly wrapped his arms around Luke. The hug felt so warm,so comforting. They both needed this moment since they've missed each other deeply. Other students just passed by and gave them weird looks for hugging in the middle of the food area and others simply smirked. Zander and Luke didn't care,they just wanted to stay there hugging for as long as possible. "Come on,let's go by a table" Luke said once they separated from the hug. Zander smiled and nodded. Luke was tempted to hold Zander's hand while they were walking to a table but didn't because he wasn't sure how Zander would react. He didn't want to freak Zander out but he wanted to let his feelings for him out. He wasn't sure how to let his feelings out though.They sat down at a table by a less crowded area. Zander texted their friends to let them know that he found Luke and their location in the cafeteria. "So how's things been going?" Luke asked once Zander put his phone away. "Well things for me have been okay. I mean the college year has ended for me,just this upcoming year and I'm finished. I guess these years haven't been as fun since you're not around" Zander replied with a small smile. Luke blushed. Yes he knew Zander could mean that as a friend but that didn't stop the pink blush emerging on his face. "What about you Luke?" Zander asked,making eye contact.
         "Well things have been pretty busy. More work and more practice but I've managed. Just one more week of classes and we're done for the year" Luke said with a smile. Zander felt his smile growing wider. He loved being here with Luke again and he felt his heart becoming lighter. How much he's missed him during all these years. Luke,on the other hand,felt his face warm up. He's had a crush on Zander for years and he was happy to see him again. He's felt lonely at college without him but now that Zander was here,he couldn't be happier. "Why did you guys come here?" Luke finally asked with a curious face. He was very happy that his friends were here but he wanted to know why. "Oh well Hailey brought up the idea of surprising you since it's been a while and we all agreed to it. We've all really missed you Luke....especially me" Zander said as a blush crept across his face. Luke felt his blush grow bigger and his face warmed up more. "I've really missed you too" Luke said with a smile. Luke and Zander smiled at each other as they looked into each other's eyes. Some people passed by and called them a cute couple or awwwed,which made them blush more as a result. "Aww look at these love birds. Guess they just couldn't contain their feelings anymore" Jake said as he walked up to them. Luke and Zander immediately turned around and blushed harder. Jake and Milly both has huge shipping smirks on their faces,Hailey was smiling,and Sean waved hi to Luke. "H-hey guys!" Luke said a bit more louder than he intended to. "Hey Luke,it's nice to see you again" Hailey said as she sat down in an empty chair at the table. Milly,Sean,and Jake also sat down. The tables were long so a lot of people could be seated at a table. Luke smiled upon being reunited with his friends again.
      They all started talking and catching but Luke couldn't help but sneak glances at Zander. The feeling in heart was getting bigger,the feeling of telling Zander. He knew he wanted to do it but he needed to be alone with him. "Hey Zander,can we talk alone later?" Luke asked as he faced towards Zander. "Yeah of course Luke" Zander replied with a smile. Their friends smirked but didn't say anything. Maybe this time Luke would be able to tell Zander.....