34

"Yeah—I mean, I'm not saying I'm, like, all that memorable," Tobias says, pulling his shoulders up to his ears. "But…anyway. Good to know I'm not totally forgettable after, like, ten years."

"It has been a long time, hasn't it?" you say in genuine disbelief.

"I know, right?" Suddenly he's laughing, and you see a spark of excitement in him for the first time. "Like, eleven years. It kinda doesn't seem it, though, like…now I'm eighteen somehow? What even happened?"

"No idea," you say, laughing too. You share a look—a smile, like real old friends. But, somehow, the moment fades. The feeling of standing so close to someone but feeling so strangely distant was one you hadn't anticipated.

"So…you're like, back?"

You nod, wishing you could think of something else to add.

"Yeah. It's…not something I expected."

With that, you kind of fall back to just watching each other, neither knowing what to say. Tobias scratches his neck and looks down at his worn-out sneakers. You hadn't expected to feel so…awkward, seeing him again.

You realize the silence is going on a little too long for your liking. You're not too good at navigating moments like this yet, but you figure that just saying something would probably help.