Found it! [ girlxgirl ]

|SEVEN|

April is almost over, which means I have weeks before exams hit me like a truck full of elephants. It also means that summer holidays are almost here and I'm already thinking about going home. Next year I'll have a thesis to do and I'm not even sure I can spend Christmas in Italy. Therefore, I'll take the summer to fulfil all the needs of a daughter who's been away from her parents for a long time, and a friend who's been missing her best friends since she landed back in America, in January.

Last year I travelled back home for Christmas, but the time passed way too fast. You know when you pass out drunk and suddenly you wake up in your bed trying to come back to reality? You try to remember what happened and how you got to where you are? That's how I felt on my flight back to America. I tried to remember every little detail about the two weeks I spent in Florence and everything I planned on doing, but didn't.

I'm excited and anxious. The only thing I hate about leaving is that I won't be seeing Sarah and Richard for a long time. Richard is also going back home. Only Sarah stays in New Hampshire. Our friendship is somewhat recent and we don't want to let the distance to negatively affect it so, we agreed to talk as often as possible and they will consider the possibility to visit me anytime.

It's Friday night and we're at our usual table, on our usual bar. We've been talking non-stop about Sarah's new relationship status. She and Greg are finally together. He's been sitting with us sometimes and now that he knows Richard is interested in Kaylah, he's actually nice. Richard though...he hasn't made much progress. He says that she's either too shy or she's not interested in him. I think it's the first, but I've seen Richard being very straightforward with her and she did nothing but blush and be quiet. He's going to ask her on a date in the most upfront way possible. If she says no, he'll move on...or so he says.

Obviously, the conversation shifted to me and my non-existence-or-simply-new-friendship with Avery. Because we've been drinking beer and alcohol is already speaking for us, the conversation gets weird fast, and then naughty, and then serious. First the weird stuff: "Ems, maybe she just a product of your imagination because we never see her". Although I show him her messages and her Facebook profile, Richard dwells on that idea for a while, amusing both me and Sarah. Then, the naughty stuff: "It won't be long now before you get to know her inside out, emphasis on the inside". He then wiggled his eyebrows for so long that I couldn't stop laughing and I had to go pee. Richard was drinking twice as much as me and Sarah today, probably to gather courage to ask Kaylah on a date. I doubt he'll be able to say anything coherent though.

When I returned to the table with three more beers, the serious conversation started. It started with a "text her" from both Sarah and Richard. Then they started to make up countless scenarios where I would regret not doing so. Some of those were set in 2050, and for some reason they got to me. It's scary how these people, whom I met a couple months ago, know me so well that they can make do things I would normally avoid. I grab my phone and I text her.

Emma: Hey, Emma here. Any chance I might bump into you at Fitz today?

-"Jesus Emma, keep it in your pants. All you want is "bump" into her?" Sarah says between laughs and signalling air quotes with her hands. I look at Richard and see that he has returned to his eyebrow wiggling. Now we're all laughing uncontrollably. For about 5 minutes we laugh probably way too loud, trying to mimic Richard. After a while, our faces start to make weird movements that are not even close to eyebrows wiggling. That doesn't help at all and we can't stop laughing. Suddenly, someone approaches our table.

-"Wow, you weren't lying when you said you have a blast at this bar!"

I hear someone talking to us. The music isn't as loud here as it is in the dancing area. Fitzold is a large space with one of the areas filled with tables and chairs, and some round booths. We usually stay in one of those booths, when they are available, although we're only three people, (most of the times). A semi-circled couch is ideal for this night.

The voice came from behind me. Sarah is in front of me and she looks confused at the person who talked to us. With effort, she slowly switches from laughing to a confused smile. I noticed Richard is still laughing, lying on the seat with his hands around his stomach. I can't even see his head, but I see his body giggle and that makes me laugh even more.

Sarah kicks me under the table and I take a deep breath to control my laugh. I turn slightly to see who it is.

-"Ave..."