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It was a cool summer night. The leaves rustled in the wind and the crickets chirped. A beautiful song to the pair's ears. They were laying on a blanket looking up at the stars. During the moment it was like they were frozen in time.
"I never want this to end," Kalia said. She looked over at Lilli.
"Me neither," said Lilli, "I wish this feeling would last forever." She smiled and closed her eyes hoping she would never wake up from this dream. Kalia looked over at her, thinking she didn't deserve to feel so calm with her. "You'll never leave me, right?" asked Lilli, "I can't imagine you not being there."
"Of course I'll never leave," responded Kalia with a smile, "I'd be a fool if I did." She didn't deserve to know someone as sweet as her. She felt like she was a victim of a sugar rush. Kalia couldn't tell but Lilli smiled at her words, feeling comforted by the fact she’ll always have a friend.
"I don't want to go back to school," said Lilli, "my parents would murder me if I dropped out though." Kalia knew they already freaked out if she had a B in a class.
"I would pause time forever if I could," Kalia said. This earned her a small laugh from Lilli.
"You can't do that," Lilli responded, with an idea forming in her head, "but what if we ran away?"
"What?!" Kalia exclaimed, her eyes wide in disbelief, "where would we even go?"
"I don't know," Lilli said, "to a cottage maybe?" It was clear to Kalia she hadn’t thought it all the way through yet. Kalia loved this idea but doubted Lilli was serious about this. No matter how much she wanted to, she knew they couldn't just drop everything and move to a cottage. "Think about it, we could move to a cottage after we graduate," Lilli said.
"Yeah we could adopt a cat," Kalia responded, "maybe some chickens too." She imagined how much fun it would be to make bread and pies together.
"I'm serious you know." Lilli said, "we only have a year left."
"Ok, let's do it then," said Kalia. At the time, they both didn’t know that it was just a dream.
As the years wore on and the summer nights changed to bitter winters the pair grew further apart. The trees blowing in the wind and the crickets song were just a memory. Now Kalia works for Boxes Inc. Her routine is the same every day, and she's drowning in the endless cycle. Unfortunately for Kalia, her degree didn't really amount to anything, she's lucky to have a decent job. She wants more than ever to go back to that summer. It all changed after senior year. They grew farther and farther apart due to their busy schedules. Keeping in touch with your friends is an easier thing said than it is done. When they did have time their conversations weren’t very interesting, often including either a happy birthday message or some mention of a holiday. Neither of them talked about work or their lives and they came to realize, despite their efforts, they weren’t really friends anymore. One day Kalia decides to treat herself to lunch at a nearby restaurant. When she walks in the door she sees the last person she was expecting to see.
"Kalia? '' asked Lilli. She couldn't believe her eyes. Despite it being 10 degrees outside she felt as if it was summer again. The cool summer nights spent together and the beautiful songs the crickets played all came back to her. For a moment, she was 16 again. Not waiting for her to answer Lilli said, "I haven't talked to you in years, I missed you." The pair was half convinced they were dreaming.
"I missed you too," Kalia answered, a smile on her face.
"Hold on I'll take a break," Lilli said. She got them both a drink and sat down across from her.
"You work here?" asked Kalia, looking around at the small restaurant in disbelief.
“Yeah I just transferred here," she responded, "I'm the general manager." She took a small sip of her drink and continued, "I'm hoping to become the regional manager someday." She said this with a half smile as if she was really hiding something from Kalia.
"Wow," said Kalia, "I would've thought you went to college or something." Lilli had always talked about how she was planning on going to college. She never seemed too serious when she did but she always worked hard and never shied away from a challenge.
"Nah I didn't go to college," she shared with a dejected tone, "I never wanted to go to college, that was something my parents wanted." Kalia was surprised. She always imagined her being a lawyer or a doctor.
"How'd your parents react to that one?" she questioned curiously.
"Hmm, not well," she answered, "we didn't talk for a while after that but once I got a decent job they kinda forgave me." Kalia didn't know what to say. It was like she didn't know her friend at all anymore.
"I wish we had talked more," Kalia lamented. To her, Lilli would always be the 16-year-old talking about moving to a cottage. Here was a 27-year-old woman sitting in front of her that she didn't even know.
"Yeah same," she said, "anyway, what do you do?"
"Oh I work at Boxes Inc," she responded, "it's pretty boring but pays well."
"Sounds boring but I'm glad you found a good job." She said. Kalia didn't know this but Lilli had been thinking about the cottage recently. "Do you ever think about the cottage?" She asked.
"Huh?" said Kalia, "I mean yeah of course I do but why'd you ask?"
"What if we actually did it?" asked Lilli, "ran away to the cottage, like we dreamed about doing years ago."
"That would be great," Kalia sighed, thinking of their innocence back when they were kids, "too bad it's just a dream."
"What if it wasn't?" Lilli asked. Kalia didn't know that Lilli had never truly given up on it. They both wanted nothing more than to drop everything and move into that cottage. They wanted to bake pies together and adopt a cat. They wanted to spend the long summer months making jam and tending to their garden. Kalia wanted to tell her yes and start over with her. She wanted nothing more than to run away with her and build a new life. She wanted to experience those wonderful summer nights again. Kalia had always wondered what would've happened had they gone through with their plan. She knew this was her chance to see but logically knew it was a dream. She wasn’t a kid anymore, that sugar rush feeling was in the past. It hurt to see the desperation in Lilli's eyes, begging her to say yes. Begging her to not leave again.
"No," she shook her head firmly, "I can't uproot my life like that." She had a good job. She had a stable life and didn't want to give that up. It wasn’t logical to chase after dreams like that. After all, dreams weren’t real.
"But haven't you always wondered what could've been?" Lilli asked. Kalia could hear the desperation in her voice. It hurt her to have to crush Lilli’s dream like that.
"Yes, but it's just a dream," she responded coldly, "nothing more." She stood up to leave knowing the conversation was nearing its end.
"No please don't go," Lilli cried, her eyes welling with tears, "you promised."
"What?" Kalia questioned.
"You promised you'd never leave," she said, "you said you'd be a fool if you did, remember?" They both felt this would be the last time they'd see each other. At least for a while. Like they were 18 again, saying goodbye for what they thought would be for a short time.
"I guess I'm a fool then," Kalia said coldly. She couldn't help feeling like she'd regret leaving. She knew it was for the best. She wanted Lilli to give up on her dream. Dreams were for kids. It hurt to see Lilli cry because of her words though. They both knew that the summer feeling was gone. The crickets' song was silenced and the trees were still. They were only left with the cold feeling of winter. They had been shoved into the present and it was like they were plunged into a frozen lake. The cottage was never going to be real and they both knew it. A little piece of them will always long for those summer nights spent under the stars but they were gone. They were lost in time never to be seen again. "I'm sorry," Kalia apologized. It was little comfort to Lilli.
"Please don't go," Lilii begged, her voice barely a whisper, "not again." But Kalia ignored her plea. She had to get back to the office. She had to go back to her routine