The First of Many

Reunion

-☾-

Your head pounded and you rested your face in your hands, hunched over the side of the bed. Tiny needles of pain throbbed behind your eyes, the beginnings of a headache that was sure to plague you all day. Last night didn't make sense and you weren't awake enough to process it. Your mind was still far too foggy for deep thoughts. Coffee and ibuprofen first, then thinking. Your stomach churned and rumbled. Even though you didn't really feel like eating, you'd throw in a bagel, too.

You forced yourself to stand and walked cautiously through your apartment, bare feet thudding quietly on the wood. You gripped the door frame and leaned out to peek from your doorway, just in case — what? What would you actually do if you did see something out there? But, when you saw nothing out of the ordinary, you relaxed.

A dull ache wrapped around the back of your head and squeezed, sending zings of discomfort to the base of your skull. Your body refused to let you forget about the need for your daily dose of caffeine. You'd cut down drastically but weren't ready to give up your morning brew. In the kitchen, you dug through the box of assorted coffee pods in your cabinet, settling on a roast that was supposed to mimic the coffee of a popular donut shop.

You scrolled through your phone to respond to the two remaining messages that awaited you while the brewing coffee dripped, filling your mug.

'Hi!' Johanna sent you two hours ago. 'Good morning sunshine!'

'Hey,' you texted back as you squinted at the timestamp. Why had she been up at 6 AM? It was Saturday— but then again, she was always awake at odd hours, sending you a selfie at 2 AM or a silly GIF at 4 AM. 'Sorry, just woke up.'

As soon as you sent the text, your phone instantly rang, and Johanna's smiling profile photo popped up on your screen. You tapped the button to answer as you smiled wistfully. Ever the enthusiastic friend, she'd keep calling if you didn't pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hey! I thought you'd forgotten about me."

"Aw, no, never," you said slowly as you poured your coffee into a mug with a generous splash of vanilla creamer until the color was to your liking.

"Are we still on for today?" she asked.

"Today...?" You dragged out the word as you put her on speakerphone and scrolled through your prior messages, seeing the one where you had indeed confirmed a meet-up with her since she was in town this week. Your half-asleep self had agreed to coffee and a trip to a book store during that 1 AM conversation two weeks ago.

Her tone dropped. "You did forget, didn't you?"

"Not exactly," you said slowly.

"Are you still up for it? If you've already made plans with other, more important friends, I understand," she teased.

You smiled at her comment. Johanna was so chipper and had been for as long as you had known her. During your two years living together in college, you two shared many things. You still held fond memories of late-night cram sessions before finals and drunken Rom-Com binges after your long-distance high school sweetheart had broken things off with you. The moments that you hadn't thought much of at the time were the ones that you still treasured to this day.

If she was in town, you wouldn't miss this reuinion for the world.

"I'll be there," you confirmed. "See you later."

After you'd downed your coffee, you went back to the bedroom to grab your clothes for the day. The fine dotting of sand still lay on your bedside table, shining as the light through the window caught it. The sight brought a residual pang of unease with it. This was the oddest piece of the puzzle.