Our Half-Promise

the meetup.. 1

we have time skipped. to the actual meetup. did i get lazy? no i did not (i probably did)

I sit at the hotel bed, nervously fiddling with my thumbs. I've spent the last 2 days in Paris.

It's a bit too early, I know. But, I couldn't help it. I was excited. I thought I would bump into Kroil and Pao at least once during my visit, but apparently, they lived in a different city. And, like the lazy bum I was, I decided to wait until the day of the meetup.

Which was.. today.

To summarize the events of the past few days, Kroil made a group chat for all 5 of us. Jay finally confirmed that he would be attending. We barely talked in that group chat. Mostly because of timezone differences and conflicting schedules. At least, that's what I told myself.

Admittedly, that's what got me so anxious about this whole meetup. We did change. What if.. we wouldn't act like friends anymore? What if all those memories were nothing? 

I slap some water on my face. Hoping that this would stop the constant flow of anxious thoughts about what would happen in a few hours. Then, I looked at the time. Loudly swearing as I noticed it was already 9 am.

The meet-up was at 10:00. 

An hour is enough time to get ready, isn't it? No, it is not. For me, at least. I haven't even taken a shower yet. Nor have I eaten breakfast, prepared my clothes- and the cafe we picked was at least 10-15 minutes away. 

I rush my preparations. Skipped breakfast, and wore the most aesthetic ass outfit possible. Brushed my teeth, took my phone, took my purse, ran to the door- shit, my keys. 

I went back, took my keys, then went STRAIGHT (lie) to the cafe. Finding a ride in Paris was difficult as fuck. I did know what to say, but I couldn't properly pronounce it. Garnering not only judgmental glances from the locals but also the disappointment of my friends due to my tardiness.

I arrived in 20 minutes. Great. I thanked the driver, paid my fare, and got out of the car.

I looked up at the sign. Taking a few deep breaths as I gathered the confidence to enter. Then, I attempted to look down at the door. 

It all happened so quickly. The last thing I saw before getting plummeted to the ground was two- no, three tall well-dressed people running toward me. I think I heard a banshee, too. 

I shrieked, looking up at my attackers. Then, suddenly I understood what that banshee screaming was. I even ended up participating in it, myself.

"RYN?"

"OH MY GOD"

Various voices shriek. I find myself shouting among them. Naming them one by one.

"KROIL? PAO? SETH? OH MY GOD?? NO FUCKING WAY" 

It was like that dinner scene from the first Shrek movie. Just us shouting each other's names in a seemingly never-ending cycle. It took us maybe 4 or 5 minutes before we finally calmed down.

We hugged more times but now kept our volume to a minimum. The patrons were already side-eyeing us because of the scene we caused earlier. If we caused any more ruckus, the cafe owner might have to kick us out. And I didn't think there were other nearby cat cafes. 

After a few more minutes of sloppy hugs mixed with tears and laughter, we sat down at a table for 5. There was a grey tabby cat sitting on the table, casually poking a tiny ball of yarn. Other than that, the table was pretty empty. They probably haven't ordered yet, I'm assuming. So, I'm not that late.

I sit down in front of the cat (obviously), stroking its head a few times as I made conversation with the others. 

"It's been so long, oh my god. How have you all been?"