Been Here All Along

12| woods

"And if you have a minute, why don't we go talk about it somewhere only we know?" - Keane

I ran my fingers through my wavy, blonde hair as I stared at my reflection. Kaila was sprawled out on my bed behind me, chowing down on a bag of Doritos.

"I don't agree with this," Kaila informed me.

"Don't you have to get ready for work?" I muttered, ignoring her statement.

"You're going on a date with your ex-boyfriend while you still have a boyfriend."

"It's not a date and you know it, Kaila."

Kaila just stood up and walked out of my room, bringing the bag with her. Her walk out was definitely because she was annoyed, but she also had to get ready for work. If she didn't have work, she would've continued to argue with me for longer.

Just because I'm hanging out with Ian, does not mean it's a date. Especially because I have a boyfriend whom I love.

It's not like we are going to a romantic dinner and movie. We are going to a woodsy area of Miami to explore. We used to go all the time and take different paths every time to adventure new areas.

   All we are doing is reliving some old memories that made our friendship so meaningful.

   "I'm leaving, Kaila," I yelled as I walked past her closed bedroom door. Her response was a grunt, resulting in a roll of my eyes.

   She is just overreacting, right? I mean, we proved the other day after therapy we are capable of having deep conversations and spending time around one another with no strings attached.

   I got in Ian's car with a deep sigh.

   "All good?" He questioned, concerned.

   "Yeah," I promised, lathering on a fake smile. It was Ian — he saw right through me, but didn't question it. "I haven't been to the woods in forever," I admitted when there was a lull in conversation.

   Last time I went was about a week after Ian left. I went everyday after he left for a week; I'd go by myself, take our favorite paths, and reminisce. And pray to God my Ian would be okay.

   "I've missed it a lot." Ian lived for the adventures we endured in the woods — from the times when we were 12 and pretended to be survivors to the times when we were 17 and he fell off a tree and broke his arm. I cried more than he did when that happened. He just said it was a cool story to tell.

   "I didn't miss having to watch your arm break," I joked. Ian chuckled softly, probably recalling the memory.

It was a new path, so I was unaware of our exact whereabouts to call for help. I just remember Ian standing on a branch and losing his balance. He was lucky enough to only have landed on his arm, as opposed to his head or something. However, I was still freaking out and balling my eyes out. He cried a little, but kept a strong demeanor for me. I held his hand the entire way back to the car and drove him to the hospital where they put a black cast on him. Ian let me be the first to sign it.

"Well, Josie Elle, will we be discovering a new path or taking a trip down memory lane?"

This is to new beginnings because Ian and I aren't the same people we were last time we were here together. Let this trip symbolize our new friendship. "New one."

Ian pulled into a make shift parking space and shined a smile in my direction. He is in much higher spirits today than he was Saturday, which I'm very glad for. Ian only deserves goodness.