Love and dances - Joel Dawson

Caramel toffee

Dear Aimee,

You won't believe who I found! Remember Maple from middle school? She's just as cool as I remember. And she's showing me around New York.

Maple had asked if Joel would rather stay inside for them to share their coffee since he had apparently been carrying that backpack for quite a while now, but the boy decided he could do it for a while longer so he could take a walk around the block with Maple instead. So, there they were, each of them with a warm drink in hands as Maple carried a cheese and ham croissant that the two of them had been taking small bites of. Joel had thought it was endearing the way Maple had been all excited for him to try the drink she had made a point of choosing for him without him hearing anything about it claiming she was sure he would enjoy it, but once he did try it, he widened his eyes, pleasantly surprised.

"Is there caramel in this?" He asked, smiling when Maple nodded with a low hum as she took a sip of her own drink. "This is amazing, Maple!"

"I know!" She matched his enthusiasm flawlessly. "I knew you'd like it. I remember how much you like caramel."

And, as soon as the words left her lips, Maple regretted them. Because, yes, she did remember how much Joel liked caramel, but that was probably not something someone should say to someone they haven't seen in ten years. Who remembers some stupid detail about a person like that? A person they haven't spoken to in a decade? A person that didn't even recognize them when they first saw each other five minutes ago? A person that should probably have been erased from her mind years ago already? But, for some reason, even after so many years and such a long distance between the two of them, Maple had never been able to forget Joel and how he used to love caramel and dogs and Star Wars and that stupid blue swing in the playground of their school that he used to claim as his favorite because it just swings better. And, truly, Maple used to dismiss it as just a quirk of hers - remembering people's favorite things - but with Joel, she knew it was more than that and, as much as she tried not to admit she had been carrying this crush on the boy that gave her the sweetest first kiss a eleven-year-old could have mustered, standing there, beside Joel as the two of them shared coffee and a cheese and ham croissant as they chatted and walked around New York... Maple couldn't deny she was feeling something she probably shouldn't be feeling for the boy she had just re-encountered and that, from what she had gathered, was pretty much in love with someone else.

"You remember?" Joel asked, his voice snapping Maple from her own thoughts as she coughed awkwardly and looked down at her feet as she walked, trying to hide her blush with her hair.

"I... I mean, everyone loves caramel, right?" She lied, as Joel shrugged.

"You don't." He said, so naturally Maple was sure he didn't even realize the weight his words carried for her. "You never wanted the caramel toffees my mom let me bring to school every Friday. You used to say they tasted funny."

"You... You remember that?" Maple asked, her voice cracking slightly with surprise as she finally lifted her eyes up to meet Joel's again.

"Of course I do." He shrugged. "I used to be super offended someone didn't like my caramel toffees."

At that, Maple laughed, nodding her head as the memories of young Joel coming up to her every Friday to offer her one of his caramel toffees and try to get her to try one as if it was his life mission. And, every week, Maple would refuse it, explaining to him every time that she did not, in fact, like caramel. Joel would be outraged about that and, at some point, Maple wasn't sure anymore if she refused his toffees because she didn't like them or just because she liked the reaction she'd get from him.

"You know, I saw a package of those toffees on the market up this street the other day." Maple said, nodding her head at the general direction in front of them as Joel beamed at her. "Maybe you can buy some and try to convince me again to try one."