old friends • tom holland

six

"Tom?" I asked, my disbelief evident in my tone.

He had already started walking away from me, but turned around after I said his name. "Look, I'm really sorry but I don't have time..." he paused for a second as recognition dawned in his eyes, "Noelle?"

I grinned and did an awkward little wave motion. Half of me wanted to run up and give him a hug, but the other, ruling part thought that it seemed like a bit of a weird action after four years with no communication. I opted to stay put, even though a hug may have lessened the tension. "Yeah, it's so good to see you again! What are you doing here?"

Tom appeared to be slightly shell shocked as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm actually filming a movie right now. Harrison is here as well, but he's back at our hotel. I have to be on set in twenty minutes, but if you wanted to come over  later you're welcome too. I know that it has been a long time and all, but it might be nice to catch up after so long. " He smiled hesitantly, still seeming a little confused about the situation. And I certainly couldn't blame him for that, I was having trouble wrapping my own head around it. I was honestly surprised that he was so willing to make time to meet up today, even though we had once been pretty close.

"Uh, sure, that would be great, I'd love to catch up. But if you'd prefer to get out of your hotel you could always come over to my place. I have an apartment at the edge of the city."

"You're right, I think we've had enough of hotels for a bit. Can you write down your address for me? We should be able to get there around 7 tonight."

I scribbled it on a napkin that he had grabbed inside before letting him head off to go film. I entered the shop feeling excited, confused, and slightly guilty. I hadn't really expected to see them again after all of these years, and while I don't think that we blamed each other for losing touch it certainly made things awkward. The texts and calls had gotten progressively emptier and devoid of new and interesting information, and none of us had enough time. Replies got distant and some of the conversations felt like the other wasn't truly interested anymore. It went from talking  constantly to weekly, and then monthly, and then not at all. I hoped that we all still cared about one another, but distance had the final say in my friendships with both Tom and Harrison.

"Excuse me miss."

I looked up to see the cashier waiting to take my order. I blush immediately rushed into my face as I realized that he had been waiting for me for probably multiple minutes. "Oh, I'm sorry, I was just a bit distracted for a minute there. I'll have one peach mango smoothie and one blueberry acai, please."

"No problem at all, those should be ready in five minutes." He said with a smile.

I nodded and found a seat by the window that looked out upon the bustling streets of New York. I had always thought that I would feel overwhelmed living in the center of one of the busiest cities in the U.S., but I had found that once you established yourself and had a routine it wasn't that bad. I probably wouldn't choose it later in life, but for the moment it allowed me to pursue my dreams.

"Number twenty three!"

I heard my number being called and went up to the counter to pick up the drinks before heading out the front door. On the way home all that I could think about was Tom and Harrison. I had no idea what Harrison looked like, but Tom looked so different from just a few years ago. He had finally gained some muscle, and while he still wasn't particularly tall, his face had matured, giving him an undeniably attractive look. "Stop it!" I thought to myself. "You've met him for two seconds and you're already planning the wedding. He probably has all sorts of movie stars falling for him. Stick to the soccer boys that you already know, girl. He's definitely out of your league at this point, you're just his old best friend."

With a sigh I walked home to an apartment that desperately needed to be cleaned before tonight. On that thought, I also needed to be cleaned before tonight. Sweat was not usually on the list of recommendations for second first impressions.