Meet me?

My alarm beeped loudly as I struggled to wake up. Rubbing my eyes, I glanced over at the clock and saw that it was already noon. With two more hours before work, I was planning to get up and get ready. However, as I focused my gaze, I realized that it was actually 2 pm, and I had already slept through the entire day.

I slept through the day… fuck.

I jumped up, panicked, and tried to hurriedly change my clothes. In the process, my apartment was turned into a mess, with clothes strewn everywhere. To make matters worse, I tripped over my pants leg and fell on the floor while searching for a shirt.

As I attempted to respond to several messages from my boss, berating me for being late, I accidentally knocked over a picture frame. Picking up the frame, I immediately recognized the image as a photo of my childhood friend Robyn and me. In it, we were sitting on a rock ledge overlooking a beautiful waterfall, holding hands and enjoying each other’s company. The picture was taken by Lively, one of our friends we young out with. Lively and Jake. The other couple we hung out with. reminded me of our hangouts many years ago, where we spent time in a cave nearby, surrounded by blankets, chairs, and coolers of random foods. I didn’t remember much, but I knew there was much more in that cave.

A wave of nostalgia washed over me, and I found myself transported back to the time we spent together as teenagers. However, my mood quickly turned melancholy when I recalled how I had proposed to her at only 16 years old.

Robyn hesitated before declining my impulsive proposal, shattered my heart into a million pieces. The memory of her rejection still burned painfully in my mind, even after all these years.

I recall asking the question

Why?

Every day, and I was always the one who walked away without receiving an explanation. In the moment, I was too consumed by my anger. I left, moved away to a far away city, almost out of the state completely. I lived with my parents and for years, I held onto that anger, but eventually, it faded away. Although I tried to move on and love again, I never found someone who could captivate me like she did. The other girls I met were either unimpressive or too difficult to connect with. Quickly shaking my head, I stood up and prepared myself for the day ahead. I ran a brush through my hair and made my way out the door.

As I stepped outside, the cool morning air hit my face. The sun was just starting to peek out from behind the mountains, casting a warm glow over the neighborhood. With each step I took, my mind wandered back to that girl from years ago. I wondered where she was now and what she was doing with her life. Did she still think of me?

I quickly got into my car and almost sped down the road.

——

As I lay in bed, I found myself staring blankly at the ceiling and blinking slowly. The thoughts in my head were racing uncontrollably, and I just couldn’t seem to fall asleep no matter how hard I tried. Despite my best efforts, my mind kept wandering back to a distant memory that lingered just out of reach, and it was preventing me from getting any rest. Suddenly, a familiar scent hit me like a ton of bricks, one that I hadn’t smelled in years. It took me back to a spot I used to visit as a child, a place with a beautiful waterfall that I had long since forgotten. But now, it was all coming back to me, flooding my thoughts with happy memories and a longing for the past. I knew I had to see that place once again, so I got up from bed and walked over to the window, staring out at the world beyond. I knew I couldn’t go back, it was a pact we all made. If we were to go, we’d all go together.

(Yk like those hotel windows? Fancy ones where you and just sit on em and look outside? Yeah those. Bc.. she lives in a hotel ig.).

I gazed at the towering buildings, swallowing hard as I clutched the photo of Sav and me. Lively had snapped the picture, our heads pressed together and wide grins on our faces. I could almost feel the weight of Sav as she tackled me into the river after the photo was taken. In that moment, I longed for her infectious laughter, which I missed dearly. But beyond that moment, my memory faltered. I peered at the photo, the only one I had left. Sav had the other one, but I couldn’t recall what it captured.

When Sav proposed, I couldn’t bring myself to say yes. I was young, broke, and too scared to face the disapproval of my mother, who despised the idea of two women in a relationship. The fear of my depression worsening after the engagement was also a deterrent. I didn’t want to cause Sav any more heartache or anxiety. If I had taken my own life, I knew it would destroy her. Saying no to her proposal was one of the worst moments of my life. Sav didn’t say anything, and the silence was deafening. Lively and Jake were there, which only added to the awkwardness of it all. That was the day I lost my best friend. Sav just stood up and left. She didn’t say anything to me, didn’t even reply to my messages or calls. She vanished without a trace.

For years, I filled myself with a faux hope that Sav would come back. I was consumed with sadness and couldn’t seem to shake it off. It lasted for five long years before I finally managed to move on. But now, I know why I couldn’t sleep. Sav was back in my mind, and the memories were haunting me once again.

As I glanced at my clock, I realized it was already 2 AM. I decided to lay back down and try to catch some sleep before my phone buzzed with a text notification. I saw that the message had come from an unfamiliar number. It read, “Meet me at our spot?” I chuckled to myself and responded with, “Jake? Drunk texting, I see?” The reply came back quickly, “Definitely a drunk text. Come on.” I didn’t need a second guess - I knew it was him.

Without wasting any time, I slipped on my coat and hood and stepped out of my home. I had no trouble finding the forest path that led to our secret spot - it was hidden enough that only we knew how to get to it. My mind started racing with all the precious memories associated with that place - overnight stays, star gazing, and playful fights with our gang of friends. As I picked up my pace, I finally arrived at the entrance of the waterfall, a small cave hidden behind a moss-covered front.

I crawled my way into the cave and walked out into the beautifully open area with a large rock ledge standing in the middle of the river. It looked like nothing had changed since the last time we visited - the river was just as serene and picturesque as I remembered it. I scoured the area for Jake before I saw the other cave - the one that had all our essentials in it - blankets, coolers. As soon as I stepped inside, my brain was flooded with a torrent of memories - the pictures of us that we pinned to the walls, the soft, cozy blankets that covered the floor, and the pillows that we threw all around.

Despite the moss growing all over the place and the dust covering everything, it still felt like home. I walked into the large, open cave and took in the familiar scents of the place, from the sweet-smelling wildflowers to the musty odor of damp earth. As I rummaged through the coolers, I couldn’t help but be overcome with emotion. Polaroid pictures, colorful rocks, a broken dog collar from a stray we used to befriend - they were all here, stored away in this secret treasure trove. And then, something caught my eye. I picked up a picture and was surprised to discover that it was one that I wasn’t even sure I’d ever seen before.

It was Sav, on her knee, holding up a ring to me with a big smile, while I stood there frozen and my face covered in a surprised expression. Lively must have taken it. I noticed another thing under it, a ring. The same ring she had proposed with.

“Oh Sav..” I said to myself.

I heard footsteps and stood up with the picture, and the ring in my other hand and I turned around.

“Jake..” I said as I sniffled a bit. “Look what I found-!”

It wasn’t Jake.

I stared at her, her hair was longer, cut into a beautiful wolf cut and her eyes shined just as brightly as it did then, her style just as amazing as it was, she was still perfect, just as she was when we were kids. She stood there, tears filling her eyes as she realized what I was holding.

“Robyn..”

her voice still as sweet as the last time I heard it.

“Sav..?”