Rooftops

Sixteen

||Sixteen||

"Good morning," he smiles, two coffee cups in hand. He's standing in the middle of the hallway dressed in a pair of black jeans, a red flannel and a black beanie.

"Good morning," I reply, ending the call with Jade and sliding my phone into my back pocket. "What are you doing here?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure." He laughs.

"I'm on my way out," I tell him, shifting my bag higher up my shoulder. "I'm meeting Jade downstairs."

"Then I'll walk down with you."

He hands me a coffee and I take it, giving him a semi-forced smile. "Thanks."

"Two sugars and creamer," he says as I bring the cup up to my lips. "Just the way you like it."

We walk down the hall towards the elevator and wait for the doors to open. In my back pocket I can feel my phone vibrating and I'm one hundred percent sure its Jade blowing up my phone because she wants to know what's happening.

It isn't until we're in the elevator that Justin clears his throat, "How long are you in LA for?" he asks.

"A few more days," I answer. "What about you?"

"A couple of more weeks. I have some business in LA."

The elevator doors open and I walk out. The lobby is busy. There are families, groups of friends, and couples everywhere. It's a little chaotic and I almost forget who I shared an elevator with as I search the lobby for my best friend.

"We should get lunch sometime before you leave." I hear Justin say behind me. "You know, catch up."

I close my eyes and inhale deeply. He wants to catch up. He wants to catch up after five years? Why the hell didn't he just call?

It works both ways Imogen.

Slowly turning around, I face Justin and grip the straps to my bags tighter. "Can we just be real here for a minute?"

"Yeah, sure."

"We aren't friends. We haven't been for five years."

Justin stares at me, his dark eyes calculating. "We were always more than friends Imogen."

"Maybe that's where we went wrong," I tell him before walking away.