New Year's Eve (Completed)

⌁Cookies and Cream⌁

It's roughly ten minutes past nine, and Conner and I stumble into a small diner down the street from where the party is roaring with drunk, crazy teenagers. Yeah...definitely not my scene. "So...what's been going on with you?" Conner asks as we slide into a booth by the window. The neon restaurant sign emits a bluish glow through the glass, making Conner look slightly like an alien. I giggle at this, completely forgetting to respond to his question.

He appears bewildered and frantically runs a hand through his hair in what I guess is a nervous gesture of his. "What? Did you have too much to drink at the party?" His eyes are full of concern as he examines every inch of my face. His eyes drop slowly to my lips, which still have a nude pink tint to them, and he folds his hands on the table.

"No, I didn't drink anything. I was just laughing because that sign kind of makes you look like you're from Neptune or something..." I trail off, Conner's eyes following mine to the neon lights hanging outside of the empty diner. I bite my bottom lip out of habit, and his eyes are drawn to the elusive movement once again.

He forces himself out of his reverie and peers into my dark blue eyes with a nostalgic flicker in his own. "I'm not sure if you remember this, but when we were kids, we had a little hide out in Frazier Park. Every Saturday our families would pack lunches, and we would have a makeshift picnic. After everyone had finished eating, you and I would always find some excuse to sneak away from our parents and go hang out behind a big oak tree farther back in the woods. We would talk and laugh for hours." A smile plasters itself onto my face as he reminisces about our childhood. I can't deny even the slightest bit that I had missed Conner all these years.

"How could I forget..." I'm cut short as a waiter approaches us and asks if we are ready to order.

"We will each have a cookies and cream milkshake," I answer the waiter with a glance in Conner's direction. As the young man walks away, I break the silence that has somehow crept its way in between the two of us. "I hope that was okay... I remember we used to force our parents to take us to this diner after every soccer game we won. You and I would always order cookie and cream milkshakes. I hope that's what you wanted. It kind of just came out by habit."

"It's okay. I'm still a sucker for oreo milkshakes. Some things never change, Ali." I freeze unintentionally in my booth at the sound of my old nickname. It had been so long since anyone had called me that. In fact, no one had called me that since Conner moved away five years ago. "I'm sorry! I know it's kind of awkward between us. I shouldn't have called you that..."

With a chuckle, I answer, "Give me a break. We were best friends, Conner! We aren't strangers!"

"We are best friends..." Conner utters under his breath. I know that statement must have taken some courage to say. Regardless of what I said, we kind of are strangers. We haven't seen each other or talked in years. We are different people with different lives. Five years changes things, and Conner and I grew apart. It's only natural considering how far away he moved.

The waiter returns with our orders, and Conner and I exchange a quick thank you. An awkward silence falls upon us, once again, as I take a few sips of my milkshake. The crunchy texture of the cookies with the smooth creaminess of the shake contrast perfectly, the sweet taste causing my mouth to water. It was just as good as it had been when I was a little girl. I sneak a quick look at the brunette boy in front of me and stifle a laugh, some of my milkshake spurting out involuntarily onto the table in my attempt to hide my emotion. In response, Conner chokes down the remainder of his shake, a half cough half laugh racking his muscular body.

I quickly swallow the contents in my mouth, ignoring the brain freeze it gives me and blurt out, "Are you okay?!"

Conner continues to hack but asks between coughs, "I should be asking you that. You're the one who started laughing hysterically."