Close As Strangers

Seventeen.

Now Playing... The Night We Met

I skipped down the sidewalk with dad's hand in mine, my body overflowing with excitement as I saw the park coming into view. Letting go of his hand, I ran towards the swing set, and he ran over, laughing as he pushed me on the swing. I swung until my feet touched the sky, and when I grew tired of flying, dad slowed me down and placed me on the ground.

"Daddy's going to sit on the bench. Why don't you play in the sandbox?" He had asked sweetly, and I gave him my big, toothy grin as I ran to the giant sandbox. I built a castle for my mermaid doll Ariel and Prince Eric. Once I was content with their castle, I played with the dolls, hosting their wedding that was personally planned by me. "Do you, Prince Eric, take Princess Ariel to be your mermaid wife?"

I connected their hands. "I do." He kissed her cheek, and then I asked Princess Ariel the same, but before she could respond, my sand castle crumbled, and the group of boys standing around the sandbox laughed. Tears filled my eyes as the dolls fell in the sand.

"You ruined my castle!" I yelled, but they kept laughing.

The curly haired boy in front of me crossed his arms over his chest, snickering. "Look, she still plays with Barbie dolls!"

His friends busted into laughter, repeatedly kicking my castle, and my lips quivered. I had almost burst into tears, when my knight in shining armor (or denim overalls and a white t-shirt), stood in front of me.

"Leave her alone, jerks." The boy growled, and the curly haired boy smirked, while I watched the boy defending me in astonishment.

"What are you going to do?" The older boy challenged, shoving the boy in front of me. "Bite me? Kick me?"

The boy standing in front of me kicked him where the sun doesn't shine, and then bit his arm when he fell down. I stood, clapping and cheering for the boy, while the other boys ran away. After they left, the boy in front of me turned around. He had straight, brown hair, and the prettiest green eyes I had ever seen. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and whispered, "Thank you for saving me."

When we pulled away, he smiled brightly at me. "I'm Wes."

"I'm Molly." I smiled back, and he sat in the sand, rebuilding my sandcastle. Once it was restored, he handed me Ariel, and he took Eric.

And on that day, I completed a royal wedding, and met my best friend.

***

I awoke in Wes' arms, my face damp from tears. Why had I been crying? Had the dream really affected me that much? Who was I kidding, of course it bothered me. Times had been much simpler when Wes was my best friend, the one who would've done anything to keep me happy. Sometimes, I missed being a kid. I missed being the kid with the best guy friend in the whole world. But as I grew older, and we drifted apart, I simply missed my Wes.

"Why are you crying?" Wes rasped, and I buried my head in the crook of his neck, holding him tightly.

"It's a stupid reason."

"You wanna talk about it?"

I shook my head. Truthfully, I did want to talk about it, but I was scared of his reaction. I was scared he would tell me I was being stupid, or that I shouldn't think about stuff from the past. But how could I not? The past was where he was still my best friend.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, running his fingers through my hair.

I smiled softly. "Better."

"Do you want to watch that video for History?" He asked, sitting up as he grabbed his laptop. "Since we have some time today."

"Yeah, that's fine." I whispered, and he smiled before opening the video on World War II we were assigned to watch for our next history lecture. As he pressed the play button, we watched silently, but halfway through the documentary, I rested my head against Wes' shoulder, and when I tried to say sorry and move, he intertwined his fingers with mine and smiled.

"Stay, Molls."

I grew quiet, a content smile playing on my lips as I closed my eyes and moved closer to him. He continued to hold my hand, filling me with the warmth I hadn't realized I lost.