Second Introductions

Zac was feeling a bit uncomfortable due to the fact that he was the only one at the company party who didn’t bring a date. He felt that the people around him, all dressed in their fanciest clothes, were already judging the fact that he was still single in his thirties. However, as he saw Elizabeth walk through the door and quickly grab a glass of white wine as she walked in his direction, he relaxed.

Elizabeth was the nicest person in the crew and he knew that, as long as she was at the party, he wouldn’t feel left out. She hugs Zac and shows him a calming smile, noticing his sweaty palms and the concerned look in his face.

“This is Adam,” Elizabeth says taking a step back and placing her free hand in the arms of the tall man standing next to her. “My fiance.”

Zac lifts his head and locks eye with Adam, immediately freezing. As he tries to be sure this is actually him, Zac notices the tiny scar in Adam’s forehead from when he fell out of the treehouse. The realization that it has been years since he has seen his face or even heard of him comes with the million questions of how this is possible. Zac’s mind goes around in circles as he tries to decide if he should pretend not to know Adam.

“Nice to meet you,” Adam says with a smile while he raises his right hand. “Liz tells me you’re a lawyer.”

Zac swallows with difficulty and shakes his hand, noticing the strength of his handshake. “Yes, we don’t even work in the same division. We just grab lunch together sometimes.”

“Sometimes?” Elizabeth laughs and leans forward. “More like every day.”

The possibility of Zac running into Adam like this is too small to make any sense. Mostly because after everything that happened Zac decided to run as far away from his hometown as possible, which included going to university in New York and, when the 800 miles wasn’t enough distance, taking a low pay job in London, hoping the ocean would grant him the new beginning he so desired. However, as he looked in Adam’s vibrant eyes, he understood that this was an impossible dream.

“Where are you from again?” Elizabeth asks, desperately trying to start the conversation again. “Adam is from the States too, maybe you guys come from the same city or something.”

“I’m from New York,” Zac lies as he dries his sweaty hands in his jacket. “But even if we are from the same place, it’s hard to know everyone, it’s a big city.”

“Okay.” Elizabeth narrows her eyes and slightly turns her head. “I was thinking more like you guys cheer for the same football team or something.”

“I don’t like soccer,” Zac says quickly while raising his voice.

Some people around them glance at Zac for a moment, searching for the origin of the voice, and Zac looks down. Since he was eighteen and that terrible night in the woods took place, Zac has been haunted by consistent guilt that would not disappear with time, making him relive the incident in his dreams at least twice a week.

However, as he raised his head and analyzed Adam’s face, he noticed that there was no sign of the feeling in his expression. Adam seemed perfectly fine, not even bothered by the fact of running into Zac all these years later. Envy fills Zac’s body and he takes a long sip of his drink.

The entire ballroom is invited to sit at the tables and Zac takes the place aside Elizabeth, making sure to check on Adam, sitting on her other side, every five minutes. Against Zac’s wishes, the conversation of the table revolved around America during the entire dinner, forcing Zac to be extra careful not to reveal much about his personal life while he still lived in his country.

Every second dragged itself as Zac relieved the moment he tried so hard to forget, but, every time he looked at his ex-best friend, Adam seamed incredibly peaceful while he enjoyed his meal. Zac even wondered for a moment if Adam had forgotten about him, but quickly came to the conclusion that he was probably faking indifference. There is no way a person could forget something like that.

As people were stuffing their faces with dessert, Elizabeth places her napkin on the table and announces that she is going to the restroom. Adam quickly stands up and reaches for something inside his blazer.

“Do you wanna go grab a smoke?” He asks Zac as he pulls out a pack of cigarettes.

“I don’t smoke anymore.”

“Come anyway.”

Zac takes a deep breath and slowly stands up, using Elizabeth’s chair as support. He follows Adam outside, immediately feeling the cold air hit his face. A raindrop falls on his jacket and he just watches as the water slowly enters the fabric.

“How are you, man?” Adam says with a sincere tone. “It’s been so long since we have talked.”

“There is a reason for that,” Zac continues to focus on his jacket. “I thought we made a pact to never talk to each other again.”

Adam lights his cigarette. “But that doesn’t make any sense anymore. Nobody found out about what happened and everybody forgot about it.” He raises his chin and lets out the smoke. “It’s been seventeen years. Nobody even remembers him.”

“I’m sure his parents do,” Zac says looking straight into Adam’s eyes.

Adam rolls his eyes and focuses on smoking. Zac carefully analyzes him, noticing the delicate new way of holding his cigarette and the elegant clothes and accessories that showed a man who cared about his appearance. Even though he still maintained a flattering look, so much of him had changed. The image of the most popular soccer player in his high school was gone.

Zac looks down at his clothes. The pleated cotton trousers, the brow tweed jacket, and the brown penny loafers. He notices how different he looked from Adam, remembering back to a time in which they had so many similarities; always using the same hairstyle and soccer jacket. Zac takes a deep breath and decides to ask the question that has been bothering him since the beginning of the night.

“Do you feel a pang of consistent guilt?” Zac whispers. “You know, for what we’ve done?”

“For a while, I did.” Adam scratches his chin. “It was a stupid prank that went wrong and I can’t change it, but I also can’t live in the past. The only thing I can do is try to make better choices from now on.”

Zac looks up and tries to relive the last years, reaching the conclusion that he has been mentally stuck in the same place as he attempts to change every aspect of himself on the outside, trying to run away from his mistakes. The words Adam spoke runs through Zac’s head and he smiles, thinking about how Adam would have never said something so deep when they were friends.

Adam holds his cigarette with his other hand and gives Zac a light punch in the shoulder. “Hey, you kinda dress like my father now,” Adam says laughing.

“Yeah, I think I have changed a lot.” Zac faces him. “It’s almost like I am a different person.”

“Me too.” Adam looks up. “Well, I don’t make tit jokes anymore.”

Zac laughs, allowing himself to lean forward.

Adam offers his hand to Zac and shows a big smile. “My name is Adam.”

Zac narrows his eyes. “What?”

“You said you are a different person,” Adam says with his hand in the same position, waiting patiently. “Let’s get to know each other.”

Zac smiles and takes his hand, shaking it vigorously. “My name is Zac.”

“Liz and I are throwing a dinner party next weekend,” Adam says as he finishes smoking. “If you wanna come.”

“I would love that.”