Potholes

Chapter 54 As told by Parker

I followed Emmet into our shared hotel room, filled with a very prominent yet somewhat eager fear. It was weird, sharing a room with a boy that felt so much like a stranger yet so familiar at the same time. I tried to remind myself that we were just childhood friends, and that this was a perfectly sensible thing to do, to keep my rapid heart rate down.

"Thanks for letting me stay with you," he said, putting down his bags in the corner of the room.

"It's no problem! Really," I was so nervous I almost shouted in reply. In doubt of sounding too eager I quickly followed up to my statement. "I mean, it's cheaper this way, anyway. And you don't really know anyone else enough to stay with them."

"Right." I could've sworn his voice dropped deeper in disappointment as he said the last word, and I instantly wondered if I had said the wrong thing.

He was done putting away his things and was standing in front of me now, his eyes dropping to my hands fiddling with end of my sweater in nerves.

"I can get myself a room, if you want," Emmet said, aware of my restlessness.

"No. You don't have to do that. I'm okay," I said. "I want you to stay."

"Oh Parker, you haven't changed a bit," he chuckled, suddenly changing his tone, and tussling my hair as he walked past.

"I'm going to take a shower, if that's fine with you."

I was curled up on one of the over-sized, cracked, red faux-leather chairs in the room, reading one of the books I had packed. I didn't even realize Emmet was out of the bathroom until the book was out of my hands and in his.

"Whatcha reading?" He said, flipping through the pages. I looked up to find him in a loose tee-shirt that clung to his wet skin and I felt my breath catch in my throat.

"Whatever it is, it can't be as good as Metamorphoses by Ovid," he continued when I didn't answer.

"Oh shut up Dead Poets Society, no one knows what your talking about," I teased back, finally gaining my composure back.

"Oh really?" He smirked. I felt my heart go warm, it almost felt like old times again. Except there was something different there too, something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Suddenly, before I could stop it, I was almost crying.

"Are you okay," Emmet said, concerned.

"I missed you," was the only thing I could choke up without letting the tears fall. I didn't really have a better reason to be getting all teary eyed, but I guess it was just the stress of the entire situation falling on me at once. He pulled me into a hug.

"I missed you too."

"It's been a rough year."

"For you and me both. But it's okay. I'm here now."

Emmet tossed me a coke from the mini fridge as I sat myself down on the single bed in the room. He sat beside me so our arms were touching and we talked about high school and our new friends, everything you would talk about with your old pal. But I finally set loose what I had been thinking all night.

"It's been four years," I said.

"I know," he sighed.

"You were only a state away."

"I know."

"And you didn't visit. Not even once," at that he looked up at me to reply.

"I'm sorry," he said so sincerely it made something in my chest ache.

"Why," I almost whispered, but he didn't answer. He just turned to look at his feet and shook his head. I returned the silence and simply placed my head on his shoulder.

"Cheers," He finally said, bringing his cola can to mine.

"Cheers."