Home (Sciles AU)

Chapter 4

Scott POV

There are so many thoughts and questions running through my mind right now, but my shock is making it hard to think clearly. I eventually end up sitting down in a seat, but I make sure to leave a few gaps between Stiles and I. He looks older and more mature, stubble decorating the bottom of his face. Other than that, his appearance hasn't changed since high school. He still has the same brown hair that sticks up a little, the pale skint, the honey brown eyes, the moles on the side of his face, the same pink and full lips and the same lean body. Perhaps slightly more muscular, almost like he has grown into it more. I swear that he might have grown slightly too, but I can't really tell from here. It's so strange to see Stiles again after all this time. We're practically strangers now. It's how we both are acting right now at least. Anyway, there is so much I want to say, but I can't seem to form the words. Where have you been for the past 10 years? What has happened in your life? How are you? Why did we lose touch? Why didn't you call or reach out?

"Why didn't you come to my wedding?" Is the thing that I end up asking and I want to smack my head into a wall. What a stupid question. I'm not even married anymore. Stiles shifts uncomfortably again in his seat and looks away from me.

"I was busy." Stiles answers in a rough voice. For some reason, I don't believe his answer.

"Too busy for your best friend's wedding?" I ask skeptically. Stiles just shrugs in response, clearly not wanting to talk about the issue any further. I try to change the topic. I don't really care that Stiles didn't come to my wedding anymore. I accepted it a long time ago and I'm okay with it. We hadn't spoken in a few years by the time I was getting married and the marriage never even worked out anyway. I just thought it'd be nice to put the offer out there, to let Stiles know that I hadn't forgotten about him and that I'm still there if he needed me.

"Wow... It's been so long. Is it 10 years now?" I ask, sounding a little awkward and disjointed.

"Yeah. I think there will be a high school reunion soon, marking our 10 year anniversary of graduating high school." Stiles replies with a small nod, turning back to look at me. The tension and awkwardness is still thick in the air, hanging over us, seeming to refuse to go away. "Cool." I reply and then there is more silence. Our eyes dart towards the Principal's door a few times, hoping that he will save us from this torture. However, no one opens the door, leaving Stiles and I to sit here in this painful silence.

"It's uh... It's a lovely day, isn't it?" I try to make conversation, but I immediately wish that I hadn't spoken as soon as I say it. Ugh, what a generic and awful small talk starter. Idiot. I look away from Stiles and stare at the wall in front of me, feeling embarrassed and awkward and secretly wish I could melt into the ground right now. "Yeah... It is..." Stiles answers, his voice sounding very uneasy. It's obvious that he doesn't want to be here just as I don't want to be. I let out a large sigh and lean back in my chair, deciding to not try to start any more small talk, scared that I'll make an even bigger disaster. Stiles makes no attempt to start conversation either. I mean, what are we supposed to do? It has been 10 years since we have properly spoken. It doesn't help that my heart seems to beat faster every time I look at Stiles now. Or that I want to get lost in his honey colored eyes. Were his moles always that cute? I also have a weird urge to run my hand through his hair and ruffle it. I have no idea what is wrong with me. I'm guessing it must just be because it has been so long since I've seen my childhood best friend. Yeah, that must be it. I don't want it to be anything else. It can't be anything else... Can it?  Surely not. I refuse to think that it can be anything else. I have just missed my best friend... But are we really still best friends after all this time? Would Stiles still even consider me a friend? 10 years of nothing. Well, I mean, I read his stories in the paper, but that's it (I personally really enjoy his articles and usually there is a sarcastic comment that is so Stiles that it causes me to smile or laugh). That's a lot of time for things to happen to the both of us. We've both lead very separate lives, but I guess we were really never that far apart from each other.