Coincidental Stars
Chapter 1
So woke up
late, went to class at 7am and paid attention not really
thinking. I have plans to get coffee with him today at 9 after my
class. I haven’t seen him since my last year of high
school. It was probably for the better, a 17 year old girl
crushing on the ex-marines, fit, intelligent 25 year old, but
then again, he never knew. He was a good friend to me though, he
listened and was the only open minded person I knew who I could
have an actual conversation with about anything. I got over the
crush, I mean, it has been 4 years. My 22nd birthday is next
month so he is about to be 30. Legal but not preferred. We my
live in California but that’s not okay. I open the door to
the Starbucks on Central Avenue. I look around and see him just
the way he looked yesterday, but this time in a dark blue collar
shirt with black slacks and black shoes. He looks so professional
and dressed up. Yesterday when I saw him he was sporting fairly
casual clothes, as I wonder if he has work today. I walk over to
him smiling up at me and standing for a hug. I like His Hugs
because they are warm and I feel safe. He was a major part of my
life in high school while I dealt with my opinions and thoughts
coming out of me at the seams. I have only ever doubted trusting
him once, but it was on my own paranoia and got over it fairly
quickly. “Hey, how are you?” “I’m good,
you?” “Great, let me go get us some drinks. Chocolate
frap with whip?’ “Yes, please” I smile as he
goes to the counter and I sit at the table in the corner he was
sitting at as I arrived. I sit awkwardly and play with my phone
texting Riley where I am and that I can’t give her a ride
back to our place today. A John Mayer song called Slow Dancing in
a Burning Room comes on and I smile at my familiarity with the
song knowing it was a singer both he and I liked. He comes back
and we sit making small talk while we wait for our drinks.
“So what is going on with your life we haven’t spoken
since you basically ran away” I laugh slightly at his
accusation. “Okay first, I did not run away, it is
considered running away when you are under 18 in which I was not,
and my parents knew about it and paid for the moving truck for me
and Riley. Along with them helping us to pay for our
apartment.” Which is 100 percent true and he knows it, but
he never ceases to enjoy teasing me. “But really I’ve
been good, finishing up classes at LACCD and I have a paid
internship that I’m guaranteed a job once I
graduate.” “That is great, where is the
internship?” “A photography studio” “Do
you enjoy it?” “I love it, I am not taking many
photos, but I am learning and it is great experience.” I
really do like the internship, but a part of me still loves
baking at 1am with Riley and will probably go into baking at some
point in my life. “So how have you been? Are you still
working for Habitat for Humanity?” he laughs, “good
memory, and yes, I am, but I just got transferred over to the Los
Angeles office for a promotion a few weeks ago” “oh
wow, congratulations” “thank you” “so are
you enjoying Los Angeles?”
“It’s…different” we both laugh. Yes, Los
Angeles is different from the small town we both come from. We
make more small talk, teasing each other and catching up on each
other’s lives. He is in a good job he’s really happy
with and is settling into a condo a few blocks away from me and
Riley. He says everyone back home is good. He goes back regularly
for his mom, I don’t. If they want to see me they come out
here. Riley is also from the same town, we escaped together. He
likes it though. His career is booming, he is happy where he is,
and he still attends church regularly. I on the other hand do
not. I have had many discussions about religion with him and
Riley and our now late pastor, I have come to the conclusion I
will be a good person for humanity but I will not call myself a
Christian without faith and truth in it. I told him my life and
career are going well. Me and Riley are about two throw pillows
away from the perfect apartment, at least perfect for us. We both
have pretty steady jobs and both are pretty close to paying off
our student loans, they were only a year’s worth each
because of how many scholarships we each got. We laughed a little
about old times back home. He was my youth director and used any
game to target me. We both crack up in the quiet coffee shop
remembering when we pushed each other in the pool at a party for
the beginning of summer. After that he has work and I have to get
home to grab stuff for my next class. We hug say our goodbyes and
agree to call each other to set up lunch plans in a week or two.
Then we head our separate ways, and I have absolutely no
intension of actually going to lunch.
Author Note: New story. Hopefully
my best. Chapters are kinda longer than I thought they'd be
but yeah. Feedback would be great and I love you guys enjoy! :)
<3