Here by Accident

I ran through the streets as the rain poured from the sky and down my face. This was supposed to be a nice sunny vacation with my family but as it turns out it became a total disaster. I'm not really bothered by the rain, I could just spend the rest of my days sitting in the rain, but it's cold and these wet clothes are making me uncomfortable. Not only did I get guilt tripped into sharing a rental home with three not-so-smart teenage boys, I got locked out and of course I didn't get any of their numbers and no ones answering the door.

I pass a couple tiny shops that sell tiny glass toys or some exotic food that just might burn your tongue off. I finally set my eyes upon a little diner sitting on the corner of a usually very busy street. I cross the now vacant road as I rush to the shop looking for shelter. When I peer into the large window on the side of the diner I see a boy around my age walking around serving customers inside the small diner and I swear I've seen before and I stop to think about where exactly I've seen him. As I stare off at some spot in the distance I hear a faint ding as the door to the diner swings out and I snap my attention to face the open diner door and the boy that was crowding my thoughts at that very moment. We made eye contact and a confused hurt look swept across his features but was gone after a couple of seconds. I take a step towards him as he awkwardly gathers something to say,

"U-Um you look very comfortable out here and all but I think maybe you should come inside.", He looks around him as if scanning a list of words that could be pieced together "I can make you something hot to warm you up and... I have Uno cards!" He says proudly. I let out a short and strained laugh as a whisper of a smile appears on my face

"I guess that doesn't sound so bad.", I say tauntingly "Although I'm going to dominate in Uno. I hope you know that." I say defiantly as I step towards the door he's holding open. As I glide right next to him he flashes a very happy boxy smile and I give a weary smile back. I enter the cute diner and take hesitant steps around the tables and very few customers drying up from the rain and warming up from the cold and I felt I needed to do the same as a shiver runs through my body. 

My attention was suddenly grabbed when I felt a hand go to the small of my back. He came to my side with his hand still on my back and rounded the counter in front of us to the small swinging door to go behind the counter near the hot drink station. I watch as he leans forward and places his crossed arms on the counter in between us. I sat down on one of the unsteady but tall stools and honestly had some trouble getting myself up onto the piece of furniture. When I finally settled onto the stool and looked up into the boys eyes and I suddenly i'm hit with a strong sense of deja vu. I gave a light smile and a small laugh as I shook off the feeling. 

“So, what drink do you prefer? A Chai latte Malt or a Mexican Hot Chocolate? By the way there is a wrong answer to this question.” He glances at me seeming to be counting the seconds till my decision is made. 

“That’s a very hard question mister”, I tease “Ok how about both? I have my wallet so it won't matter.”He gasped with fake hurt written all over his face and said “Oh Please! You Insult me!”, He let out a laugh. “As if i'm gonna make you pay.” He smiles as he gathers everything for the drinks. Once he does a quick check that he has all the ingredients he gets to work. He was moving so fast I might fall off the stool following his movements.

“Quit that you’re making me dizzy.” I say with an amused look on my face. He spins around and throws a dashing smile my way and for some reason it didn’t sit right with me. That smile was all too familiar, but it was so hard to remember just where I've seen him before. It’s like trying to remember the perfect word for something and it being on the tip of your tongue.

 I focus on the drink he's making, wondering maybe if it tastes good I just might try to make it at the rental home later. If I could get some peace and quiet. I sat thinking about it when a tan Medium sized cup was placed in front of me and a stack of uno cards placed right next to it. He holds up his pointer finger as a way to tell me to give him a few more minutes so he can make me the other delicious sounding drink. He looks at me expectantly and I give him a small nod. He continues to make me my other drink as I wait and count out cards for us to start a uno game. 

Now that I think about it, how are we going to play with just two people playing? I placed two different stacks of cards and placed them on the counter. 

“Hey you don't mind if I join you, right?” a voice suddenly speaks up behind me. I swing around in my chair to be face to face with another attractive boy yet again around my age. 

“Actually I was just going to go around asking people to play.” I say with a light laugh. I count out the cards and place them in front of him. Deciding to start up small conversation seemed to be a good thing so we can keep it from being awkward. 

“So, what’s a place like you doing with a boy like this?” I throw the very bad and cliche pick up line out in the open waiting for him to walk away from this dumb conversation held by a just as dumb girl. I turn to look at him after a couple seconds of silence. He had this look on his face, it was indescribable but he looked pained and hurt. I immediately thought I offended him and he might actually walk away. Instead I hear a burst of deep loud hearty laughter. I looked at him without turning my head and started laughing with him. He made eye contact with me and 

“Not gonna lie, that was a good one.” He shifted his body to face me as he seemed to relax more into the conversation.

“Okay, How about this one,” He sat thinking for a second. “Are you a library book? Cause I'm checking you out.” I cringe so hard at the words coming out of his mouth.

“I bet I can do better. I got some really bad ones.” I say rolling up my sleeves in a competitive way. Leaning towards him preparing my smooth attack. 

“Did it hurt when you fell from the vending machine?”He looks at me quizzically as he tries to figure out just where I'm going with this joke. 

“Cause you’re a snack.” I put my hand out in front of me as I made a gesture with my hand to represent me ‘dropping the mic.’ He let out a relaxed chuckle as he leaned toward me just as I had done a couple seconds ago. He laughed at himself before he even got his joke out. I gave him a weird look as he calmed himself down and wiped fake tears out of his eyes. He leans back and panic spreads across his face as his chair tips a little too far back. He adjusted himself and reached his hand out towards me waiting for me to accept his outstretched hand. 

“The name’s Elijah.” I smile as he introduces himself. I gently put my hand in his and shake his hand firmly. 

“You never changed.” I give hima sceptical look as I try to piece together just what he meant. I also notice the first boy walking towards us with a weird unreadable look on his face when he sees me and Elijah talking. He raises his eyebrow questioningly towards Elijah as he sets the other cup down in front of me, the cup being similar to the first. He turns to the boy with a snarky expression on his face,

“What are you doing here?” He asked with an unamused look on his face

“Well Connor I happen to be making new friends, Cause sometimes being around you bores people.” He said with a serious expression. I sat with my hands folded in my lap and my gaze pointed straight towards my not so interested torn up boots that I got a while ago. I shoot my head up to look at them as I suddenly hear a burst of laughter come from the two boys and I sit there with a confused face, looking between the two. They give each other one of those weird guy hugs and starts a little conversation while I sit there being forgotten. 

I turn my head towards a loud clash of thunder. I stare out of the window as I barely remember all the days I would have dropped everything to play in the rain, as if it was just a dream. I remember two other kids with a younger version of me, playing around and coming in after a day of fun. I slowly step down from the stool not aware of two confused and enchanted boys watching me take careful steps towards the window thinking about how the cold rain would feel on my skin. The rain seemed to calm down but there was still a light drizzle. I snap out of the daze and turn back towards Elijah and Connor. I give them a genuine boxy smile as I realize that they could have just been staring the whole time. 

“Do that again.” Elijah says directly. “Do it. I want to see that smile again. It reminds me of someone.” He hesitantly looks towards Connor and I see the way they both visibly tense so I give the same boxy smile and Elijah was the first one to approach me and embrace me in a tight hug. Then came Connor.

“I knew it. I saw you standing out there like that was the only place you ever wanted to be an-” Elijah cuts him off shuffling towards me some more. “Once you said that lame pick up line and you smiled and..” The sentence drifts off as Elijah starts choking up with his words. I shrug them both off as I try to piece together what exactly was happening. I create more distance. Elijah takes a big breath in and exhales loudly.

“Connor,” Elijah looks the other boy in the eye with a strangled expression. “I-I cant. You have to tell her. I can't be here right now, at least not in a five feet radius of her.” I look into his eyes to see just what was happening or maybe if there was some underlying problem. He forces himself to look away from me as he brings his hands towards his face and weaves them into his mop of black short curls. 

Connor steps in front of him while extending his hands towards me. I take a step back retracting myself from his reach defensively. Momentarily, a flash of emotion seems to flare in his eyes. Hurt. 

“You really don’t remember anything.” He looks in my eyes trying to trace any realization. I shake my head slowly, bringing my head down to stare at my feet. My eyes start tearing up and I feel my throat closing up at the sting of holding the tears back. I let out a quiet choked sob as a faint memory plays in my head. 

Suddenly Elijah shoves his way from behind Connor and gently cups my face in his hands. 

“Shh, No Addiebear. Hun don’t cry. I hate seeing you cry.”

Then it hit me like a truck. The way the nickname just rolled off his tongue. My glistening eyes look up into his dark and unrealistic blue eyes as I let out a louder sob and crash into his arms. I curl myself into his embrace and slowly lift my head onto his shoulder and make eye contact with the waiting boy behind him. I slowly let go of Elijah and make my way towards Connor.

He sniffs away his tears as he lets out a tiny sad excuse of a laugh. Open arms and all. I pick up my pace and give him the biggest hug. I hear Elijah let out a relieved sigh

“My Addie. My sweet Addie.” Connor chants as he keeps me at arms length

His hands reach up to wipe the tears from my face and my head instantly go to a 6 year old me and a 7 year old Connor wiping my tears after I fell during our game of tag. A 8 year old Elijah following Connor, kneeing beside me holding my hand. I see Elijah come up beside me and Connor and I feel at home. These were my best friends and now they’re my family. I never would have seen them again if it wasn’t for this terrible rain and this cutesy diner.