A Call

"A reunion?"

"Sorry, I'm kind of busy right now...….."

"Huh? You say I said this the last time as well? H-Haha bro..."

"I see....."

"Okay, I'll try my best to attend"

"Yeah, thank you"

*Beep

Seeing as the phone call disconnected, Max turned to look at the sky before releasing a long sigh.

"Damn," he muttered under his breath as he mentally replayed the conversation he just had in his head.

The person he had just spoken to on the phone was an old college friend whom he hadn't seen in years.

Although their friendship had dwindled to more of an acquaintance level due to limited contact through phone calls and social media, it was still better than the typical acquaintance formed with strangers.

Max and this particular friend had a history of a solid friendship despite the passage of time.

At least their friendship was more intimate than his brother was from the past to the present.

After all, Caleb Parker was his best buddy.

When Max and Caleb were placed in the same dorms in college, Max was initially unimpressed with Caleb. However, after a few more weeks of living together, Caleb's actions began to intrigue him.

It wasn't that Max wasn't one to mind his own business, but after discovering that Caleb was also a child of a single parent, Max could not help but become intrigued by him. Additionally, because the college dorms consisted of two rooms in a dorm, Max was able to observe some unique characteristics in his roommates.

For one thing, this friend of his had an excessive love for slightly uncooked red meat, and apart from that, there were times when Max had caught him shaving his body hairs more than thrice in a week, and it didn't help that he had dog-like habits like always being on heat on the weekend, but it was because of these things and a few other things that Max started to take notice of Caleb, and when they finally had a real conversation one day, they were surprised to find out just how much they had in common and just how much their ideas and goals align so they became friends.

Strangely, their connection deepened after Max assisted Caleb in cooking his meat one time because Caleb was unable to do so because he had a cold.

They were close friends who could rely on one another while they were in college, but since graduating four years ago, their friendship has grown distant. In fact, they haven't actually spoken to one another in person for more than three years. The situation shouldn't have been this way because even though they weren't as close as they once were due to living together, it was still possible to have a brief planned meeting in real life, but Max avoided all of these things as he did with every reunion gathering that had taken place in the last three years between the students of his set.

Caleb phoned him to inform him of the gathering for this year, which will happen on the 25th of next month, as a result of this. There was still plenty of time before the reunion considering today is July 13, 2023.

If he could have his way, Max would have refused to attend the reunion under the guise of being very busy, but now that Caleb seemed to be tired of this unchanged excuse, he personally took it upon himself to call him rather than to message him to get his point across, but there was still another issue.

"How can I give a f*ck about a reunion when my life is being sought after by a freak?" Max mumbled under his breath as he turned to survey his surroundings from the shadow he was hiding from the sun.

He was currently standing by the side of the road, beneath the roof shade of what appeared to be a closed business.

Nothing in Max's environment stood out as different kinds of cars, from cheap to costly ones, drove past him on the street as people strolled along the side of the road he was on and the person in front of him on the opposite side.

In other words, nothing stood out or seemed out of the ordinary enough to draw notice.

'I hate this feeling of always being on alert,' Max thought, his phone ringing and emitting a message-related sound as he was ready to sigh again.

Max was a little annoyed as his phone rang, interrupting his thoughts, and he unlocked it to read his message, only to discover that it was from Caleb.

*****

[Hairy Cal],

I forgot to say the address for the reunion xd so here you go; The Inn at St. John's (Plymouth, MI).

The others decided to hold the reunion in Michigan as well since we attended college there and it would be more convenient for everyone.

And yes, do not push yourself to attend if you have other obligations. I understand that we are all busy at times, so take it easy on yourself and phone me if you need assistance. We're the greatest of buddies, remember?

*********

"Best pals, huh? Was the tension in my voice audible during the call?" Max mumbled as a hesitant smile began to appear on his initially anxious face.

Max labelled Caleb as Hairy Cal in his phone book as he had to shave many times a week due to his excessive hair. Although this behaviour was a little juvenile, Max had grown accustomed to it and was too lazy to change it.

In any case, it wasn't as though he also had a regular name on Caleb's phone.

"It appears to him that I'm still his best friend." Given my recent behaviour, I must be a lousy buddy, right? Best friends...…"

Max's smile widened as he turned to read Caleb's message again.

'The Inn at St. John's?'

'Seems like, apart from me, everyone seems to be doing well with their lives to even consider a place like this,' Max thought as he considered how much a room in a hotel as large as this would cost.

The Inn at St. John's is quite a historic hotel located on a sprawling estate in Plymouth, Michigan, offering a luxurious and tranquil setting for a reunion. It features elegant rooms, on-site dining options, a golf course, and event spaces for gatherings which meant it was on the high end of luxurious things and this was where the reunion was taking place so it was not surprising why Max thought life must be doing his set back in his colleges day well.

"Will she be there too?" Since they met while they were both in college, Max reflected as he recalled his ex-girlfriend Alice.

'No. I shouldn't even be thinking about this. Before turning to reply to Caleb, Max shook his head and said, "She's no longer a person in my life."

*****

"Thanks for everything, brother, and we'll catch up for a drink next month,"

*******

'And send', After sending the message by tapping the send button, Max put his phone back in his pocket.

Even though his message was brief, they summoned all of his emotions.

"Mom may be gone, but there are still people in this world that I can call my own."

"For them, for my life, and for my future, I will survive whatever is happening now," Max said before brightly smiling.

'I'm still too young to be stressed about life so let's handle it like a man.....'

Just as he was about to proceed from his current spot to wherever his legs will carry him while thinking of many things to reinforce his resolve to overcome his current dilemma, a somewhat familiar sound forced Max to stop in his tracks.

{***E-Energy***}

'Huh?'