Tobias

The chilly salty wind hits my face. I take deep breathes. This place brings me so many memories. They all hurt like hell.

"It's beautiful, mom." I say as I set down the picnic basket. "Hold your horses, big boy." She holds my hand. I look at my mother. She's taller than me. A couple of more meters and I would catch up. Her dark hair is loose and flying in the wind. I like to think that my mother is a pretty woman. "Let's eat, aren't you hungry?" She says with a smile.

I open my eyes as the memory fades away. This was the first time my mother brought me here. This was one of the many times, we both hanged out alone. Without Tessa or dad. Just the pair of us. A mother and her son.

"This is where me and your dad fell in love." She says. "Do you think I could fall in love one day?" I ask. "Of course, Tobias, dear." She says. I lay my head in her lap. "One day, you will meet a beautiful girl. She will be so special. You're gonna fall in love with her. She's gonna fall in love with you as well." She pushes my hair to the back. "I am gonna marry her, like you and dad got married?" I say. "If you really love her, then you should never ever let her go."

I smile as my mother's voice fades away. I hear footsteps near by. I walk and hide in some bushes near by. It is technically illegal to be here. Her red hair is pulled into a ponytail. She's wearing a black hoodie with a black. Are those yoga pants? She stands at the cliff. Her hair is flying in her ponytail. I walk out of the bushes. "Gonna jump?"

We both stand silently beside each other. "You wanna um you know get some coffee or something?" I ask, breaking the awkward silence stretching between us. She looks at me. "Yeah, why not." She shrugs. We walk to the nearest dinner by. We sit into a booth. "What can I get you?" A woman chewing a gum asks. "Coffee." We both say. Ruby smiles at me. "Alright, anything else?" She asks, writing our order into her small notepad. "No, thank you." Ruby says. The woman nods and leaves. "So." I say. "So." She shrugs. Silence. Awkward fucking silence.  "Elite came along, then?" She asks. "Oh, no. She went to Miami." I say. "Weird." She says, furrowing her eyebrows. "She wanted me to come along but I had already promised Tessa, I would come by." I say. "Hadn't been here in a while, then?" She says. "Five years. You?" I say. "Five years as well." She sights. The coffee mugs cling as the waitress places them in front of us. "Thanks." I say as she walks away.

"Remember when we had to pretend to like avocados yogurt so Ash could actually get a date." I say and she laughs. "Yeah, that was so by luck." She says, smiling. "It's weird that's we're all grown ups now." Ruby says. "Yeah, Al with a kid. Ash married. You a doctor and I just own a coffee shop." I say with a shrug. She chuckles. "In the middle of Manhattan. That's huge." She says. I smile. "Definitely." I say, giving her a thumps up. We stop in front of the building that Tessa is staying in. "I wish we could just stop time." I say. "Yeah." She says.

"If you really love her, then you should never let her go."

I watch as we turns to walk away. "I love you." I burst out saying. She looks back at me. I sight. "I love you so much, I can't let you go anymore." I say. She stares at me. "I am sorry. But, it's the truth. It's always been you. I can't change that." I shrug. She walks up to me. Our lips collide. She still tastes like honey and the ocean. She pulls back for a second. "It's always been you, too." She whispers. I hold her hips and kiss her one more time.

I slide my fingers through her red hair. She's looking at me. "You're so beautiful." I say. She peaks my lips. "I feel like I am eighteen again." She says, looking up at the celling. I chuckle. "I wish we could just go back to being eighteen again." I say, looking at the plain celling along with her. She gets up. "I gotta go." She says, sliding her arms through her hoodie. "So soon?" I ask. "They would start to get worried back there." She sight, burying her face into her hands. I rub her back slowly. "You will be okay." I whisper right beside her ear. She looks at me. "You think?" She asks. "I am sure." I say, smiling at her. She smiles as she leans in and kisses me. She stands up. I slide into my briefs. I put on my jeans and hoodie. I walk slowly out first. I check to see if Tessas is asleep. Her snores fill up the room. I hold Ruby's hand and sneak her out if the apartment. "Can I see you again tonight?" I say. "I will text you." She says. She kisses me and leaves.

We're definitely eighteen again.