Kellic One-Shots

Reacquainted Love

"One day," Vic whispered in my ear, like we were telling forbidden secrets, "I'm gonna be famous."

We were 7 then, so I had giggled until he stared at me, straight-faced. He just raised his eyebrows and I stopped myself quickly.

Then, every 7 year old said the same exact thing. I had thought of it as nothing but a simple unachievable goal among the millions of other and quite easier opportunities. Not that Vic wasn't talented- of course he was. Very much, actually. But it just didn't seem rational to me at the time.

Vic and I had been best friends since before I could remember. (Literally, we were too young for memories. So basically, our whole lives.) He was my very best friend- what some would call the "cliché movie best friend," who was always there for me, who I told everything to, who was basically another member of my family... Yeah, THAT friend.

But by the time we were 18, however, he was gone. He left me just like that. He promised we would be best friends forever, living the life we had always talked about while growing up, but he left for San Diego that summer and never looked back. And if he had, he would have seen his tearful best friend, Kellin Quinn, watching his car fade into the background, and crumpling to the ground with the feeling of a thousand bullets penetrating his chest.

______

FIVE YEARS LATER

I sighed. The morning radio, also known as my alarm clock, blared in my ears. I rolled over, squinting, seeing the time flash as 6am.
I sighed again, and forced myself up and off my bed onto the plush carpet that my feet landed on. Another day at my pointless, seemingly never-ending job. But I'll spare you the details while you still have some adulthood-free innocence left.

After my shift ended, I headed to my daily safe-house, the coffee shop that was so conveniently placed in a very short walking distance from my apartment. As I pushed through the doors, the overwhelming yet delightful scent of coffee beans penetrated my sense of smell and I tried to hide the amount of relaxation that my body displayed.

I sat down at my usual table, and I saw the barista wave as she walked towards me with my usual order.

What can I say? I like coffee.

I found myself thinking of Vic- I know I shouldn't have been, but I couldn't help it. As stupid as this sounds, he reminded me of coffee. He was always so strong, persistent, full of pep. He was my go-to, my lifeline- and now, as I stare into the swirling brown coffee in front of me, I half-expect to see his chocolate eyes staring back.

The door chimed, snapping me out of my thoughts since it was unusual that many people were here around this time. I looked up, half expecting to see casual tourists in khakis and an explorer's hat, but instead I saw my worst fear ahead of me.

My coffee. My lifeline. My Vic. My betrayer.

He was glancing around the shop, and I quickly turned my head, suddenly finding my shoes very interesting. I prayed to myself that my hair would work wonders and hide my face from the man that stood across from me. But I heard a gasp and I knew it was all over.

"Kellin?" A surprised, whispered voice found its way to my ears and I froze for a second.
Then, I slowly looked up from the ground with a obviously forced smile and a pained expression.

"Hi." I said, barely audible.

"I've missed you so much!" He said excitedly, running towards me with such force and hugging me tight as I awkwardly still sat in my chair.

And this was it. This was the moment I had dreamed of, even PRAYED for during the past five years of loneliness. And it's funny, because when it actually happens, you wish for anything but.

I just sat, remaining stagnant, as he gripped me tighter and didn't seem to notice my lack of enthusiasm until he pulled back to see my blank stare. It looked like he had just been stabbed in the heart, and for once, I was okay with that happening.

"Do you want to sit with me and catch up a little bit?" He offered, and I nodded, because I needed this. I needed the closure, the final end to the heartbreak I had been experiencing for years on end. So I did. I got up, and I told myself that this would be one book that would end in happiness. So basically, not John Green.

I joined Vic at another table that he picked out, big enough for us to sit across from each other to talk. We were silent for a second before he spoke.

"So, how have you been?"

My eyes welled with tears. "How have I been? Do you want to know how I've been, Victor?" He flinched at the use of his full first name but nodded, confused.

"Oh, I've been great. Because you know, losing everyone in your life, even your family, and being forced to live in a run-down apartment alone and work at a dead-end, low paying job just to eat dinner sometimes, all because your best friend who PROMISED he wouldn't leave, did... Yeah, it's been dandy." I was full on crying now, and even though I felt pathetic I couldn't stop. I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth, looking anywhere but the melting eyes of Vic Fuentes.

"Kellin, I-"

"You LEFT me, Vic. After 18 years of assuring me you wouldn't, and constant planning of the future, you left me. And you know what? I was glad you were chasing your dream. I wanted you to. But you never looked back, you never texted, called, ANYTHING. You left me alone in the time when I had nobody." I couldn't say any more, because right now, I was trying not to sob as my body shook uncontrollably. I snuck a peak at Vic to see he was crying, too- silently. I put my head in my hands so I didn't have to see.

"I didn't want to do it." He said simply, but with such sincerity.

"What?" I looked up.

"I didn't want to leave you. I didn't want to hurt you at all. But I thought it would be best if I didn't talk to you anymore."

"Why the fuck would you think that would be best?" I tried not to scream. Was he CRAZY?

He sighed, looking into my eyes now as he said quietly, "Because, Kellin. I loved you. And I didn't want to hurt you."

I said nothing for a moment, trying to process this. Had he not known that I felt the same? "Loved?" I asked, looking down at my hands.

He sighed again.

"Love." I felt his hand grab mine, and I didn't pull away. In fact, I smiled. Then, I brought my free hand to Vic's, repeating his actions.

"Love." I repeated, and suddenly I felt okay again. I wasn't mad anymore. I couldn't feel anything but numbness... in the best way possible.

"I didn't want to hurt you, Kellin. In fact, that was the last thing I wanted. I just... I was 18, and I didn't know what I was feeling. I thought running away would make it better, but for five years, you were all I could think about. I didn't contact you for that long because I knew you were angry. I knew you were hurt, because I was, too. Actually, admitting all of this is the most terrifying thing I've done in my life, but I'm glad I did." He finished, then smiled when he saw that I had a small grin on my face.

"I missed you. So fucking much. And I love you, too." He smiled even wider as I spoke.

And as we sat there for what seemed like hours, trading the pictures of oceans and chocolate that our eyes resembled, I couldn't remember a time when I didn't love Vic Fuentes. I guess I never realized until it hit me in the face. Love works in mysterious ways, I guess. But as I looked at my best friend, and my previous anger melted into affection, I knew it was nothing short.