The place looked exactly the same. The red vinyl booths were still visible through the front window, the bell still hung crooked above the door, and the faint smell of coffee and grease reminded me of my childhood.
This was where we said we would meet again.
Ted was already there when I walked in. He was sitting in the corner booth, coat draped neatly beside him.
His hands were wrapped around a mug like he’d been warming them for a while.
His hair had gone silver at the temples, and there were deeper lines around his eyes, but the smile he gave me was familiar enough to pull me straight back to who we used to be.
“Ray,” he said, standing up. “You actually made it, brother!”
“It would’ve taken something really serious to keep me away,” I replied, pulling him into a hug. “What, you think I’d break the only pact I ever made?”
He laughed under his breath and slapped my shoulder.
“I wasn’t sure, Ray.
You didn’t reply to my last email about it.”
“I figured I’d just show up. Sometimes that’s the only answer worth giving, you know?”
We slid into the booth and ordered coffee without even looking at the menu.
