The knock on my door is a surprise.
The person I find staring at me when I open it is an even bigger surprise.
"Mack."
"Hey." She grins.
"I didn't know you were coming."
"Me neither," she says, making herself welcome into my room. "It was sort of a last minute decision."
I close the door and turn to look at her. "Why?"
"I missed you," she says like that's obvious.
I raise my eyebrows.
Mack gives me dry glare. "You don't believe me."
"No. I mean, I do." I walk farther into the room. "Wanna take a seat?"
She slumps down on the chair she always used to sit on when we spent most of our free time in here. Her dark roots are a couple of inches long and she's wearing a canary yellow puffer vest over a light grey sweater. Barely any makeup on, cracked black nail polish, and bulky glittery phone case, she doesn't look like she changed much at all since those days. I probably don't either.
"How's that fabulous life of yours in San Francisco?" I ask.
She smirks. "Fabulous."
"Good."
"How's life in this quaint little snow globe we call home?" She asks.
"Great."
"Good."
"Is it, though?"
She frowns. "What?"
"Home. For you, I mean."
"Sure."
"Mh."
"Why?" She asks.
"It's just..." I shrug, taking a seat at the foot of my bed, facing her. "You never seem very excited when you talk about it. You were always super eager to leave. Thought your new life would be home by now."
Oof. Was that too harsh?
I didn't plan on saying that, but I also didn't plan on seeing Mack today. Can't even fucking remember when I last talked to her.
"It's not really a new life," she says. "It's just... a new chapter."
"Right. So San Francisco isn't home then?"
"I mean, yeah." She sits up straighter, tucking her right leg under her. "Like, a second home. But home is always home. It's where you are."
"Mh."
"What?" Now, she's starting to look annoyed.
"I mean, do I have to say it? I thought we were just kind of letting the elephant chill with us in the room."
I look at her. She blinks back.
"What?"
"We kind of... drifted apart," I say.
"Did we?"
I look at her.
"I mean. Maybe we did a bit," she huffs. "But that's normal."
"Didn't say it wasn't."
Neither of us looks at the other during the moment of silence that follows.
"I did miss you, you know," she eventually says.
"Got bored of your San Francisco friends?"
"I thought you were just being nostalgic, but that sounds bitter." She frowns. "And a little accusatory."
YOU ARE READING
Crack In The Ice
Random**SEQUEL TO BREAKING THE ICE** Liam Astor is home. Home where his family is. Home where is skating partner stayed. Home where he trains every day to make his Olympic dreams come true. Home, where he had to throw himself into his career, so he doesn'...
