His laughter echoed loudly across the lawn, his smile fading slowly. It was nice, just spending time with him again, and it had been too long. He was still the same Jonathan though, he still smoked way too much pot, still smiled often, and still laughed with the same tone as an old friend.
"I can't believe you're eighteen. It's too soon. It feels like second grade was yesterday." He smiled, poking my ribs. Sitting on my front lawn together was refreshing, the summertime June sun having set long ago and leaving the night dark but warm.
"Yeah, I know. Its insane." I agreed, crossing my legs and toying with my shoelace. We'd been out here talking since four that afternoon, catching up on old times and bullshitting, and a quick glance at my watch said it was already eleven.
The silence set in, and it wasn't awkward, it was just quiet. We sat there for a moment, smiling a each other.
He reached into his pocket to pull out his cigarettes, bitching when the pack was empty. "Do you want to walk to the mini mart with me? It'll be like old times. I'll buy you a slushy." He grinned.
I nodded, standing up and wiping the grass from my legs and shorts. He pushed his skateboard beneath the tree we'd been sitting beneath, tossing his mp3 beside it. He quickly counted the folded dollar bills and put them in his back pocket.
In moments, we were walking together, side by side in the dark. It was a welcome quiet, in contrast to the laughter and chatter we'd shared all day. The mini mart was a lengthy walk away, but nothing too far.
Everything about Jonathan had stayed the same through time. He'd gotten taller and stronger, but he still had the same pot-induced giggles, the same slacker smile, the same big brown puppy eyes when I was being mean to him.
I was actually surprised at him, being that he hadn't touched any weed today ("damn shit is getting pricey!" He had exclaimed.) and was still being so good-natured. He glanced over at me, and I could feel his eyes on me.
"Can I ask you a question, Riley?" he asked quietly.
I nodded, my eyes meeting his.
"Why haven't you ever been in a real relationship before?"
I shrugged, caught off guard. "The right guy has never asked, I guess. I've never thought about why, really."
He nodded, turning around to walk backwards so he could look at my face.
"I don't know why, either. You're unlike a lot of people, sure, but it's a good kind of different. I like it." He managed, deep in thought. He swiveled back on his heel so he was walking beside me again, our arms brushing as we walked.
I felt his fingertips on my own, sliding through the spaces between them, and I felt myself start to smile. "Jon..." I giggled.
His smile was spreading, too, and I pulled out of his hand, only encouraging him to wrap an arm around my waist and draw me closer, nuzzling his face into my shoulder.
