Days inn

The two childhood lovers were sitting outside in a brightly lit stairwell in a dingy hotel. Outside the confines of the concrete walls there was a thunderstorm; the abrupt flashes and bangs didn't halt their conversation. With each minute that ticked by, the seconds of departure was drawing near.

The two hadn't seen each other in months and in the time of their absence, much has changed physically and mentally. After the previous encounter, the girl decided to cut the ties and move on from their friendship. However, after hearing that he was back in town for a sports related event, the numbers were re-dialed and the connection was rekindled.

The two held a conversation that competed with a live boxing match that was streaming on the hotel t.v. The door was propped open to let the humid air circulate, but it also welcomed security that was performing a check up on the hotel. Afterwards, the door was shut and the innocent alone time was interrupted by teammates popping their head in, people asking the whereabouts of the others, and finally his roommates. They were kind, high, and hilarious, but once the drugs in their bodies reached as high as they could go, a silence fell over the room save for the t.v.

The two left the awkward silence and stared out of the balcony and into the view of the pouring rain, strip of forest, and nearby highway.

"The most romantic sight," he sarcastically called it.

They sought refuge from the rain in the stairwell where she sat two steps higher than him in order to achieve a sense of height and authority since he was almost a foot taller than her. It began to rain harder, and she didn't feel the slightest desire to abandon his company. When it was time to leave, she arose and walked down the four flights of stairs while he followed suit.

Before getting to the first floor, he stopped her and had her stand a step or two higher than him so they could finally be at the same height for after all those years. It was refreshing; his cool green eyes pulled her into an embrace, one that reminded her of their first hug since they were children four years ago. Somehow, she felt herself fit nicely. They embraced each other for quite some time and the girl made sure to take in his scent. While still enveloped in his arms, the boy-carried her onto the sidewalk before they embraced each other one last time before the girls departure. They knew what they wanted from each other. They both questioned the possibility in the advancement of their current state. They both longed for each other. But the first act past the boundary of friendship was not initiated by either, so the goodbye felt half-empty.

He waited for her to drive off before returning to his room. While waving goodbye, they still looked at each other with the same intensity as was in the past. And she asked herself, "Does love ever die?"