To Love A Friend

by Jana David

Five years later

  Darcy

  I couldn't stop smiling. I probably looked like I was high on something. It definitely felt that way.

  I had just been offered my dream job, and life really couldn't get much better. Walking down the street, I imagined myself taking this same road every day, walking along these streets. Just the whole energy of this place made me want to get out a piece of paper and start sketching. London was amazing. Ever-changing, fast-paced, and perfect for someone with a head full of ideas. I would have skipped down that street, if that wouldn't have been totally immature and embarrassing. Especially for someone who could now say he was employed, with a job that actually paid enough to live on.

  I would be lying if I said getting to this point in my life had been easy.

  After breaking all ties with my father, I was left supporting myself while taking on the burden of student loans to pay for my degree. There had been times when I'd seriously considered giving up. I hadn't, though, and this moment, this feeling of accomplishment, suddenly made it all worth it.

  A record shop on the other side of the street caught my attention. It was one of those small, independent ones that were slowly dying all over the country.

  I crossed the road and looked into the window of the shop, debating whether or not I should go in. They had a nice selection of old vinyls on display.

  As I studied the records in the window, a movement behind the glass caught my eye. Inside, the shop was only dimly lit, so it was hard to see the people inside clearly, but I saw him.

  He saw me, too.

  It was as if time stopped.

  I was frozen in place, taken by surprise and unsure of how to react. It had been five years. And yes, I was actually keeping track of it.

  Ian turned away from me then, walking back into the shadows of the shop. I was left staring into the empty space, wondering whether I should just leave.

  I was about to turn around, when I saw him come back. He was holding a piece of paper in his hand, which he pressed against the glass for me to read.

  It simply said:

  Let's never make a deal again. Deal?

  It made me smile, despite the awkwardness of the situation. I gave him a thumbs-up. He nodded in return.

  I turned and walked into the shop.

  Our friendship would never be the same, but maybe that was for the better. Sometimes you had to let go of the old to make room for the new; for something better. Who said we couldn't try to do the same with our friendship?