Between Love & Friendship

Chapter 11: A New York Reunion

"Oh my god, she's in New York!" Emily exclaimed as she hung up the phone, tears streaming down her face. Alex, who had been sitting next to her, pulled her into a comforting hug.

"I know, I know. We'll go see her," he murmured, rubbing her back soothingly.

"But what if she doesn't want to see me? What if she's angry or hurt?" Emily asked, her voice shaking with uncertainty.

"We won't know until we try. And I'll be there with you every step of the way," Alex reassured her.

The two of them quickly made arrangements to fly to New York the next day. Emily couldn't shake off the feeling of nervousness as they boarded the plane. She had been so focused on finding Samantha that she hadn't even thought about what she would say to her when they finally met.

When they arrived in New York, Emily's heart was pounding as they made their way to Samantha's mother's house. She didn't know what to expect, but she was determined to make things right with her best friend.

As they approached the door, Emily could feel her palms starting to sweat. She took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.

To her surprise, it was Samantha who answered the door. Her face broke into a smile as soon as she saw Emily, and she threw her arms around her in a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry, Samantha. I had no idea you were hurting like that," Emily said, tears streaming down her face.

"It's okay. I should have told you what was going on. I was just so scared and confused," Samantha replied, her own voice shaking with emotion.

The two of them sat down on the couch and talked for hours, catching up on everything that had happened since they last saw each other. Alex sat quietly next to them, a smile on his face as he watched the two friends reconcile.

——— Lunch ———

As they all sat down at the small bistro in New York City, Emily couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. She was happy to be reunited with her best friend, Samantha, but also a bit nervous about the conversation they were about to have.

"So, how have you been?" Alex asked, breaking the silence.

"I've been good, just needed some time away," Samantha replied, taking a sip of her water.

"We were all worried about you," Emily added, "I tried calling and texting, but you never replied."

Samantha looked down, "I'm sorry, I just needed some time to process everything that happened."

The three of them sat in silence for a moment, until Alex spoke up. "I think it's important that we talk about our feelings. I know I have feelings for both of you, and I don't want to hurt either of you."

Emily felt her heart race, "I feel the same way, Alex. I have feelings for you too."

Samantha looked up, "I think I'm still trying to figure out my feelings. I care about both of you, but I'm not sure if it's in the same way."

"I understand," Alex said, "We don't have to figure everything out right now. Let's just enjoy our lunch and take things one step at a time."

The rest of the lunch was spent in a comfortable silence, as the three of them took in the new revelation of their feelings and decided to take things slow from now on.

"So, what do you guys think?" Samantha asked suddenly, looking between Emily and Alex. "I've been thinking about it, and I think it's time for me to go back to university. I've been away for long enough."

"Are you sure that's what you want?" Emily asked, concern etched on her face. "I mean, we can stay here with you if you need us to."

"I appreciate that, Em," Samantha smiled. "But I think it's important for me to face my problems head-on, and not run away from them. And besides, I've missed my classes and I don't want to fall behind."

"I think that's a great idea," Alex chimed in. "Plus, I know I speak for both of us when I say that we've missed having you around."

"Yeah," Emily nodded. "I've missed our girl chats and movie nights."

"Okay, it's settled then," Samantha said, standing up from the table. "I'll start making arrangements for my return back to campus."