Warnings: Some swearing

Word Count: 1532

July 2nd, 2017

"Y/F/N, I am not going to allow you to sit in this car all night," your mom said sternly, finally getting fed up with your antics.

"I can't do it, Mom," you mumbled. "I can't see him."

"You are a grown ass adult and so help me if you do not get out of this car..."

You reached for the car door handle only to pull it back into your lap a second later. The anxiety swirling in your stomach was swelling up, and your mom practically yelling in your ear was no help.

"They are inside waiting for us, now let's go."

You took a deep breath, bit down on your lip, and opened the car door. As soon as you were out of the car, you knew you would be able to get in the front door. It was the just the first step of it all that you needed a little shove with.

"Thank goodness," your mom huffed, getting out of the driver's seat. "Now let's get you inside before you decide to get back in the car."

You nodded and followed your mom up the little stone path that led to the front door of the house. It had been a few weeks since you had stepped foot inside the house. Your mom had dinner with the Josephs once a week, but you rarely joined them anymore, being inside the house still brought back too many painful memories.

Your heart skipped a beat when your mom knocked on the door. She reached over and gave your hand a reassuring squeeze. As frustrated as she had been with you in the car, she still knew how hard this was for you and wanted to make sure that you didn't get too overwhelmed. Much to your relief, it was Tyler's mom that opened the door.

"Y/M/N! Y/N!" she smiled cheerily. "I'm so glad you could make it." You gave her a quick smile before glancing behind her, looking for any sign of Tyler. There weren't any, but that didn't stop your hands from getting clammy. "Why don't you two come inside?"

You followed your mom into the entryway of the house. In the kitchen, you could hear Tyler's dad talking with who could only be Tyler. You kicked off your shoes by the door and followed your mom into the kitchen, stomach twisting.

Your stomach dropped when you finally caught sight of him. He was leaning against the counter, holding a glass of water and talking casually with his dad. His appearance was much different than the last time you had seen him: tattoos covered most of his arms, his hair was more well kempt than it was in high school, and he looked more confident. The sound of footsteps must have drawn his attention, because soon he was turning to look at you, his eyes landing on you almost immediately. You watched as his smile faltered for a second, there was no doubt he was thinking the same thing about you.

"Y/N!" he smiled, setting his cup down on the counter and walking towards you with arms open wide. "I haven't seen you in ages."

You hesitantly held out your arms and returned his hug. It felt weird to be this close to him again, last time you had seen him you had both just graduated high school and still looked like kids. A lot had changed since then.

"Yeah, tell me about it," you said, half laughing.

He stepped back and took a second to look over you, more obviously now, "You've barely changed."

"I wish I could say the same about you," you said, just quiet enough that your parents wouldn't hear. His smile faltered again and he nodded curtly.

"It's so nice to see you two together again," his mom smiled. "How long has it been? Nine years?"

"Ten," you answered her.

"Ten, wow," she sighed. The oven began to beep, drawing her attention away from the conversation which you were thankful for. "Looks like dinner is almost ready," she announced, pulling a pan of something out of the oven. "Should just be a few more minutes."

Tyler leaned down so that he was mere centimeters away from you, "Do you mind if we talk outside for a bit?"

"Sure."

He grabbed his water from the counter before leading you out into the backyard. You closed the sliding glass door behind you and took a seat in one of the patio chairs. The evening air was warm, and the sky was just beginning to turn into shades of pink and orange as the sun set.

"How have you been?" Tyler asked.

You turned to look at him, "Ty, we've known each other for twenty-nine years. There's no need for formalities," you said.

"We haven't seen one another in ten years, Y/N. Do we really know each other?"

"Maybe we would if you had answered my calls," you huffed, crossing your arms.

"Listen, I didn't come out here to fight with you. I know we've both probably done some things we regret." You raised your eyebrows at this statement. "And-well-do you want to get coffee tomorrow so we can talk through some of this?"

You cast your eyes down to your feet. It was true, you had been holding a grudge against him since the day he left and didn't return your calls, but there had also been a time when he was your best friend. It seemed only fair that you gave him a second chance.

"I have work tomorrow at ten, but I'm free before then."

"8 o'clock? At the coffee place we used to go to?"

"Sure."

"It's a date." You turned to look at him with raised eyebrows. "Friend date," he corrected himself, though there was a bit of color on his cheeks that hadn't been there before.

The two of you stood up and walked back inside where your parents were standing around the kitchen counter. Tyler's mom was finishing up one more dish, while his dad and your mom were discussing some topic over glasses of wine.

"You two are back just in time," Tyler's mom smiled. "It's time to eat!"

The five of you formed a small line around the counter, dishing up the various foods that Tyler's mom had prepared. Once you had all gotten enough food to last you a lifetime, you sat down at the table. You, of course, ended up between your mom and Tyler.

"So, Tyler, why don't you tell us a little bit more about being a famous musician?" your mom asked.

Tyler was quick to launch into a discussion about his music. It might have been bearable had your mom not continued to ask him question after question until you knew practically every detail about his life. By the time he finally stopped, half of your food had been eaten.

"What about your writing, Y/N? How is that going?" Tyler's dad asked.

You shrugged and poked a bit at your food, "It's alright. I'm still working on my rough draft, it's hard for me to write something that I really like."

He nodded thoughtfully, "I'm still looking forward to it."

"Thank you."

"Are you still writing the one about the pirates?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah," you answered, feeling a bit more embarrassed now that Tyler had just talked about all of his success.

"I always liked that one," he smiled.

"Thanks," you mumbled. A small smile crept across your face, and you quickly looked down at your plate to hide it. You were supposed to be holding a grudge against him, not blushing at every compliment he gave you like you used to in high school.

It didn't take long for Tyler's dad to begin discussing something that had happened recently in town. Your moms were also eager to join in, yet again leaving you and Tyler totally in the dark. It was something that had happened a lot at your family dinners in high school, though it wasn't something you had expected to happen when you and Tyler were full grown adults. You were unsure of what to say to Tyler, so you opted for eating quietly and listening to the parents talk.

They continued to talk until well past the time that they had finished eating. Eventually, you gave your mom a light tap on the shoulder and reminded her that you should get going so that you could get some good sleep before work tomorrow. You carried your dishes into the kitchen and helped the Josephs clean a bit before you gave everyone a quick hug and headed out to the car.

"See, was that so bad?" your mom asked as she closed the car door behind her.

"I'm getting coffee with Tyler tomorrow," you said plainly.

"Are you really?" your mom asked excitedly.

"It doesn't mean anything, Mom. We're just catching up." Your mom had been hoping that you and Tyler would get together since high school, and apparently that dream still remained even ten years later.

"If you say so," she said, starting the car. "There could still be something there."