Under the Foliage

His laugh echoed off the wooden walls that surrounded us. His brown, ruffled hair had a golden tint from the sun’s rays that seeped through the small carved window. I sat there, inches away, amused at his ability to get amused so easily. I stared into his captivating, hazel eyes. Years of memories had evolved in this tree house. We were best friends since childhood, and built the tree house together during the summer before 6th grade. But 9th grade, things changed, and I started having feeling for him. But I buried them and pretended that I only saw him as a friend for another year. It was tenth grade now, and the two of us were hanging out in the tree house for the first time in a while. 

Bzzt. His phone buzzing interrupted his hearty laughter and my thoughts. His face changed into a frown. “Olivia, I got to go. This was fun,” he mumbled.

“Do you have to, Kevin?” I pouted and stared at him like a lost puppy. 

“Don’t give me that look,” he laughed. “I would stay, but I really have to go. Maya really needs to see me right now.”

Maya? Who the hell was Maya? I felt my heart race. It can’t be… It’s probably his cousin. Putting on a straight face, I looked at him and said, “Is Maya the annoying cousin you always talk about?”

He frowned, then looked down, embarrassed, as the realization hit that I didn’t know who Maya was. “Maya’s not my cousin. She’s my girlfriend. I really got to go.” He quickly got up and climbed down the ladder. “See ya.”

My breath picked up, and I was on the verge of tears. Luck for me, he had left. I sat there as everything came crashing down. A small tear escaped my eyes, but it wasn’t long before I was crying a river. He had a girlfriend? And he had never thought to tell me? It hurt more knowing that he didn’t want to tell me than the fact he had a girlfriend. I lied down on the cozy rug that covered the wooden planks. My face was tear streaked and my eyes were puffy and alien-like. I lied there until it was time to go to school in the morning.

I rubbed my eyes and sat up on my bed. Why was I thinking about Kevin now? I was a rising college sophomore, and I had moved on from Kevin. Kevin and I had stopped hanging out around the middle of sophomore year in high school, and I had grown past him. So, why was I thinking of him now? I sat up on my bed and took a deep breath. I walked towards my window. The familiar view of birds perched on tree branches in our community park comforted me. I looked around my childhood room. The wall was covered with Polaroid pictures, fake plants, and a collage of random pictures I had printed from the Internet when I was in high school. Oh, and my suitcase lay half open on the floor, bulging with all my things. Last evening, I had returned to my parents for the summer. Maybe that’s why I was thinking of Kevin? Because I was back in town?

I threw on jeans and a top and headed to the dining room. My mom wrapped her arms around me tightly. “Oh, sweetie, I missed you so much.” 

My dad was sitting at the table, sipping his coffee and watching the news. When he finally noticed me, he tipped his cup of coffee to me and gave a huge smile. My younger sister walked in, sticking her middle finger up when she noticed me. I could hear Mom grunt, but she held her disappointment in. 

“Mom, I’m going outside for a stroll,” I said, putting on a smile.

“Don’t you want to eat with us?” my mom asked. She seemed sad, but she put on a smile. “You know what, have fun!”

“I’ll be home for lunch,” I said, hugging her. I walked out the door, and knew exactly where I was going. The tree house. I felt the sun beat down on me as I briskly walked past my neighborhood. A couple of other students from my high school were also home for the summer. A couple of kids I knew waved at me. I waved and smiled. Finally, I had arrived.

The rope ladder loomed in front of me. I hadn’t been here since sophomore year of high school. It seemed worn, like stepping on one of the rungs would break the whole ladder. I climbed anyway. I felt the familiar wood finish as I finished climbing the ladder. Carefully hoisting myself up onto the tree house, I looked around. The small rug was still there, but dry leaves littered it. The small box where we had kept our things was also there, but spider webs covered the outside. The corners of the tree house were covered in dust bunnies and spider webs. But yet, it still felt familiar. I leaned against one of the walls of the tree house and closed my eyes.

Years of memories flooded my mind. From lying there together at 3 AM to playing on our DS to him revealing that he had a girlfriend, Maya. Everything we had was built along with this tree house. I knew that someone would take it down eventually, and I had always thought I wouldn’t care since Kevin and I don’t even hang out. But sitting here, with all the memories we built, I wasn’t so sure. 

And, I had always thought I could move on from Kevin. But sitting here, where our friendship had blossomed and evolved, I wasn’t so sure. I was so lost in thought that I didn’t notice a familiar face poking through the entrance. “Olivia?” a deep voice called out.

His golden brown hair and his charming smile were all too familiar. He hadn’t changed one bit, and his goofiness still radiated off of him. My breath quickened as I whispered, “Kevin?”

“You’re here too? I miss this place.” He said, as he awkwardly adjusted himself, so he could fit inside the tree house. Nothing changed, except apparently his height. For a while, we simply talked as if we were 12 again. He was laughing at something I said, but then, suddenly he got all serious. He leaned closer to me. I felt heat crawl up the back of my neck. He gently held my face in his hands. His lips were only inches away from mine. 

“Wait! What about Maya?” I said quickly. Though I wanted him bad to place his lips on mine, I was not about to do it at the cost of ruining another relationship. 

“Maya and I...we broke up. In like sophomore year.” 

Wait, what!? I had thought they dated throughout senior year, at least. They seemed to be made for each other. “Really?” I asked, confused. He chuckled and nodded. Before I could say anything else, he closed the gap between us. At that moment, I realized that if this tree house had been taken down, we might have never met again. Okay, maybe that’s dramatic, but you get the point. I felt safe here, enveloped in his arms.

“Glad to have you back, Kevin…”