It's Been A While

Part 3

My car wasn't parked too far away from where we exited the arena, thank God. Once we reached it, I handed Devin the keys and said, "You crash it, you buy me a new one."

He laughed and retorted, "I'm not going to crash it! The hotel is not even two minutes away. I have my license; you can trust me." I hopped into the passenger's seat and buckled up, watching Devin adjust everything to his size. He shook his head while doing so and muttered, "You're so small, it's ridiculous." I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms.

After what seemed like hours, he finally started the car and drove to the Ritz-Carlton. He pulled into the parking lot, let the attendant know the situation and who he was, and somehow negotiated with them to let my car stay there for the night.

"Told you it would work out," he smirked.

We both got out of the car and I scoffed, "Whatever, Book." I heard him chuckle behind me as we walked towards the entrance.

Inside the Ritz-Carlton was absolutely fabulous. It was a 5-star hotel, so everything around was top-notch. I marveled at everything in sight, and Devin had to drag me to keep me moving. We stepped onto the elevator and rode it up to his floor. When we got to his room, he let me walk in first, just like he always did back when we were younger.

His room was beautiful. I was afraid to touch anything in there for fear of it breaking. He had a king-sized bed, a nice flatscreen TV mounted to the wall, and so many other luxuries. The view was insane as well. We were pretty high up, and the view over-looked downtown Los Angeles. It was breath-taking to say the least.

My thoughts were interrupted by Devin saying, "Make yourself at home. This is home for the both of us tonight." I obeyed and slipped off my shoes and set them near the door. My keys and bag ended up on his dresser. I sat myself on the edge of his bed and waited patiently for him to finish changing into his sleepwear.

Once he plopped down on his bed beside me, he asked me, "So, how has California been treating you?" I don't think he was prepared for my response.

My mood completely changed. "Horribly, to be honest," I replied. His expression changed almost immediately, but I wasn't finished yet. I continued, "I was alone for my last two years of high school, which should've been the best of my life. I didn't go to prom, didn't play basketball, didn't go to any of the sporting events. My life was empty. I didn't make friends until I got to college, and that was still a very small number. I'm almost 19 years old, and I still haven't had my first kiss, been on a date, had a boyfriend, and I'm still a virgin. But I'm alive, right? That's all that matters, right?" Devin was in shock, and he was unsure of how to respond. I still went on, "I bet life's been great for you without me, huh, Dev? I bet you were relieved when I left. I bet everyone else was, too. You probably finally got a girlfriend, went to prom, paid attention to all the girls, and finally had guy friends. I'm right, aren't I? I bet you slept around during these four years, too. I never crossed your mind once, did I?"

At this point, I was shaking from being angry, upset, and overwhelmed all at once. Tears welled up in my eyes and threatened to fall down my face. Devin was still in shock, but he choked out a few words, "You did. Please relax."

"Why should I relax? I thought about you all the time. I sat there wondering what you were doing most of the time. I wondered why you hadn't texted or called me in a while. You forgot about me. That's not what best friends do," I cried. Emotions overtook me, and the waterworks began.

Now Devin was getting upset. "I didn't forget about you! If I did, you and I wouldn't be here together right now. I wouldn't have recognized you. Did you ever think that you could've tried to initiate conversation with me instead of waiting for me to start it? I thought about calling you, but I wasn't sure if you forgot about me, or found another best friend, or if you still had the same number. I figured life was better out in California like everyone thinks," he ranted.

"Well you thought wrong," I sniffled, "I waited for the one person I ever enjoyed talking to to check up on me, and he never did. He left me alone, literally. I thought about texting you, too, but I thought about how much fun you were probably having without me and I didn't want to bother you anymore. Maybe it should stay that way." With that I stood up and put my shoes back on. I grabbed my belongings and stood by the door.

Devin stood a few feet away from me, looked me straight in the eyes, and said, "Stop. You're not going anywhere. You're being a brat right now. Don't be a brat." Every time we argued or had issues in the past he called me a brat, and I did the same to him.

"Then tell me what went on all those years, Dev. It better be the full truth, too," I croaked. He took slow steps toward me, almost like he was creeping up on a wild deer that he didn't want to scare. He took my bag and keys from me and set them back where they were. He came back and knelt down at my feet, holding my shoe with one hand and pulling my foot out of it with the other until both shoes were set back at the door. Our eyes stayed locked as he stood up and slowly took my hands to bring me back to my spot on the bed. When we got there, he gently sat me down and took a seat next to me.

Taking a deep breath, he began, "The first few months of the semester were hard on me without you. I was kind of lost without you by my side. I didn't know what to do with my time, so I took to putting in more work for my game. Eventually, I did start making friends with guys at school, some of my teammates, whoever was cool with me. Yeah, I got a lot of attention from the girls because you weren't there anymore. I did end up finding a girlfriend that year, but we cut things off during senior year. I lost my virginity to her, and I do actually regret it. In college, I did sleep around a bit more. I've slept with 4 girls total. I guess college life got the best of me."

I sat there listening intently, and when he finished, I just shook my head in disappointment. "I didn't think you'd be that type of guy, Dev. I thought you knew better. I didn't want you to end up like that," I sighed. Was this the same Devin I was best friends with my whole life? It sure didn't seem like it anymore.

Head hanging, he spoke again, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disappoint you. If it means you'll be back in my life for good, I won't sleep around with any woman unless she's my own. Okay?"

"Promise me," I said, holding out my small pinky finger.

Wrapping his enormous pinky in mine, he replied, "I promise." I leaned over to hug him, and he dragged me onto his lap. He let out a sigh and mumbled, "It's good to have my best friend back. It's been a while."

I snuggled myself closer to him and said, "I love you, Dev." Saying this wasn't a new concept, we did it a lot back in the day, whether it was after making up from arguments or times where we needed each other to lean on.

"I love you too, Brit," he whispered, clutching me a bit tighter.

Once everything was said and done, Devin dug out some clothes for me to wear for the night. The shirt and shorts were super baggy, but they were satisfactory. When I finished changing and taking off my makeup, I crawled into the king bed and curled up next to Devin's large frame. His body warmth was a big help, because for an unknown reason I was a bit chilly. By this time, it was super late, so we both figured it was time to get some rest.

"Good night, Devin," I squeaked, lifting my head towards his in the darkness.

My eyes adjusted and I saw him look down at me and return the words, "Good night, Brit." With that, we both shut our eyes, falling asleep within the next five minutes. It had been a long day for the both of us.