Author's note: Momento is more commonly spelled as "Memento", but an "o" is also valid. I like the "o" spelling in this particular story.
*
It was the last day of the summer program and the students were celebrating at a session-end send-off party. The hall was packed and vibrating with a dull roar as people tried to out shout everyone else. Evan looked around at the buffet table looking for some alcohol, but couldn't find any. He grabbed a virgin punch and meandered through the crowd to see if he could spot any of his friends.
Evan was one of the few full time students from the university. The summer program primarily attracted students from other universities; most of them used the opportunity to explore potential graduate programs for the future. He made a few new friends who came from the east coast and he craned his head looking for one person in particular.
Amy was Evan's best friend during the program. They were in the same classes and enjoyed similar activities. Evan took Amy rock climbing with a few other classmates and she was a natural. She nearly outclimbed Evan even though he had quite a bit of experience. Evan was pretty introverted in general, but he felt like Amy was very easy to talk to.
As he continued scanning the crowd, he felt a tap on his shoulder. As he turned around, he was greeted by a blinding flash. Amy peeked her face behind the camera and smiled. "Looking for someone?"
"Hey..." Evan tried to play it cool. "Where's the rest of the gang?"
"Not sure, I just got here. I see you hit the punch already." Amy smirked, holding the camera off to the side.
"Nah, it's virgin. No way they'd serve alcohol at a school sponsored party. What kind of camera is that? Is it one of those instant prints?"
"Yeah, I saw this on sale for dirt cheap and I thought it would be fun to bring it out today..." Amy pursed her lips and said, "Oh hey, I've been meaning to ask, my flight is tomorrow and I need a ride to the airport. Can you drop me off?"
Amy broke eye contact for a second, "Or I can call an Uber if you are busy."
Evan instantly replied, "Oh yeah, sure, that's no problem at all." The fact that she was leaving and he probably wouldn't ever see her again really hit Evan at that moment. "What time do you need me to pick you up?"
Amy's face lit up when Evan agreed. "The flight is early in the morning and I was thinking maybe I could crash on your couch tonight? My sublet technically ends today as the person I'm leasing from is coming early for the fall session."
"I hope you don't mind that my apartment is a mess." Evan spotted a few of their friends making their way toward them. "Looks like everyone is here."
The friend group chatted for a bit about future plans and promises to keep in touch. They all decided to go out for a pizza dinner together and continued talking. Throughout the whole evening, he made the motions of participating in conversation, but his mind was not there. He felt a deep sense of melancholy that he never felt before. As the dinner wound down and people went their separate ways, Amy approached him.
"Let's drop by my place so I can pick up my stuff and we'll head to yours?"
Evan just nodded and drove Amy to her apartment. He waited in the car as she got her stuff together. She came back down with a suitcase and backpack, but she also changed her clothes. She was now wearing simple drawstring pants, with a fitted white T-shirt and a long sleeved light sweater on top. Practical dress for traveling as well as modest sleepwear.
They arrived at Evan's apartment a few minutes later and Evan helped Amy carry the suitcase to his room. It was a full one bedroom apartment, complete with a separate living room. He splurged a little on rent since he wanted to live alone and rent was relatively affordable in this sleepy college town.
Evan bent down to clean the random things on his couch, "Okay, I'll go get the extra blanket and I think I have another pillow you can use."
As Evan turned to go fetch the extra bedding, Amy stopped him. "Wait. Evan, I've been meaning to ask you something." Amy looked at him, biting her lip.
"Amy, what is it?"
Amy spoke quickly, making sure she got it out before she lost her nerve. "If I were in the same university as you and we might have had a longer term future, would you have asked me out?"
There it was. This was what they were both always wondering, but never addressing it. Amy finally did, head on. Evan replied cautiously, "If I did, would you have said yes?"
"Of course I would," she said, smiling. Her eyes quickly flashed into annoyance. "You're just too much of a gentleman to 'take advantage' of me. I'm an adult and know that the relationship would likely be short term. Maybe I wanted to be 'taken advantage' of. Have you considered that?"