Short Stories

Love is better second time around

"Oh man, you're really smitten with Nick, aren't you?" Morris teased me with a smirk.

"Shut it. Leave me alone!" I tried to sidestep his teasing. Morris always had a knack for poking fun at me.

But how could I deny it?

Nick's smile, his sparkling eyes, his rosy cheeks, they all drew me in, deeper and deeper.

"What are you two up to over here?" A familiar voice interrupted.

"Heyyy Nick, buddy! Come over here. We were just chatting about you." Morris scooted over, making room.

Nick slid into the space between Morris and me.

"About me?" He asked as I casually draped an arm over his shoulder. "I was just saying how much I adore my partner, more than anything else in the world." Nick met my gaze, inching closer. "Really?" His lips brushed against mine in a fleeting kiss, sending a warm flush across my cheeks.

"Let's head out," I suggested, intertwining my fingers with Nick's as we stood up.

"Looks like someone's craving some alone time," Morris called out, earning a playful middle finger from me.

Being with Nick felt like floating on air. My heart did somersaults every time our eyes met. I came to school each day for him, just to see him, to be near him. His voice was a melody I could listen to endlessly. It all seemed too good to be true, and I dreaded the thought of it ever ending.

But life has a way of interrupting our wishes at the worst possible moments.

"Now we've got to pick our streams, man. You're taking the same subjects as me, right?" Morris's question snapped me back to reality during our final year of junior high.

I let out a sigh and rolled my eyes. "Guess I'm stuck with you forever." His face lit up. "DOES THAT MEAN WE'LL BE IN THE SAME CLASS IN HIGH SCHOOL TOO?!"

"Keep it down!" I hissed, covering my ears as Morris danced around me, chanting, "Best friends forever! Brothers for life!"

I couldn't help but laugh because he looked sillier than ever.

"HEY, NICK!" We both froze as Nick approached. My heart skipped a beat, just like the first time I saw him. I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face.

But Nick's expression was grave. "We need to talk," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. Those words sent a jolt of panic through me. "What's wrong? He's never like this. Did I do something wrong? No, I should just follow him."

Morris watched, puzzled, as I trailed after Nick.

His next words hit me like a ton of bricks. "This might sound crazy, but we need to go our separate ways, Jeremy."

That did sound crazy. I was in disbelief. "What do you mean? Why so suddenly?"

"We have different paths ahead of us now. I'm transferring to a different high school. We won't see each other for a long time."

"We can make it work... We can do long-distance. How can you say it'll fail without even trying, Nick?"

"It's for the best, Jeremy. Now I think about it something in me says that You'll only hold me back."

I wasn't ready to hear any of that.

He tiptoed to match my height and planted a soft kiss on my forehead. "You've given me wonderful memories that I'll always treasure. But it's better to end things on a high note before they start to crumble."

I felt a lump in my throat. I wanted to scream, to cling to him, to beg him to stay. But I was speechless. All I could do was listen to him with my head bow, hiding the tears that were welling up in my eyes.