The Reunion

Chapter 5

The check arrived and Cherie reached for it first but Skylar placed a hand on top of her, stopping her. "Let me." It took a considerable amount of strength for Cherie to remove her hand from underneath Skylar's. The warmth of it, the familiarity and the comfort that came with it felt like heaven and she wanted Skylar's hands on other parts of her body. "My hotel is right around the corner." Had Skylar eavesdropped on her thoughts? Or had she said it out loud without realizing it. "I'm hoping you'd keep my company a while longer, if you're in no rush."

"I'm not."

"Great. We can order dessert from room service." As they walked to the hotel, Cherie asked her why she was staying in a hotel. "Are you really that disconnected from the world? I don't live here anymore."

"Oh."

"I'm hurt that you didn't think of me at all within those years to know that I moved."

"I did. I mean I knew you left but I thought you were back."

"Hmmm."

"Where are you now?"

"I've recently uprooted my life or what was left of it and moved to Denmark."

"You're living in Denmark and you came all the way back here for a high school reunion."

"Not only for that. I had other things to take care of."

"And when do you leave?"

"In two days." The thought of losing Skylar so soon made her feel dejected. What did she think would happen? They would reconnect and live happily ever after as friends or if she was being her usual, delusional self, lovers. "Are you going to miss me?"

"Would it be too much if I said yes?"

"Why do you think it would be too much?"

"I don't know. I mean we haven't seen each other in twenty years and then we do and it's like nothing has changed. You still feel like my best friend from high school."

"It's because I am still the same person I was then."

***

Cherie flipped through Skylar's yearbook and took note of all the signatures from their classmates that filled it. Page after page of kind words, hearts, and smiley faces, while her book remained void of any marks.

"How are you still popular when you're friends with me?"

"You're saying that like you're ruining my reputation?"

"I'm saying I'm not ruining it." Cherie closed Skylar's yearbook and placed it aside. "How is it that you seem to get more popular by the day and I'm still a loser? Shouldn't I gain some popularity from hanging out with you?"

"You're not a loser and I don't know why. Are you open to being popular? Because we can easily fix that."

Cherie knew what Skylar was referring to, using her wealth to gain friends but that was not the way she wanted to do it.

"No, no, it's fine."

"Did you write anything in my yearbook?"

"No, there's no space."

"Yes, there is. I saved an entire page just for you."

"An entire page? What am I supposed to write for an entire page?"

"Write whatever you feel."

Cherie couldn't possibly write what she felt. It would give too much away and it would probably destroy their friendship. How could she put into words how much Skylar meant to her, how much her friendship has meant to her and omit her feelings of love? It wouldn't be easy and she couldn't do it in Skylar's presence.