Will you be my gf? Circle yes or no.

I remember this. I wrote it up for my best friend. We'd always come here to this tree with other friends of ours and hang out. She'd always climb up and down its branches. She was never afraid. At least until she fell off one time and ended up in the hospital.

From then on, our parents collectively started preventing us from going over to it.

As we grew up, we slowly forgot about it. And soon, we each forgot about each other.

Sara moved to another town sometime during her freshman or sophomore year. Marcus left to study abroad but was mugged and killed. Lenny became a contractor for our small town. Mia got what she wanted and became a kindergarten teacher. I'm not sure why she wants to spend time with little kids though.

I moved to New York to become a Lawyer. I spend most of my time over there. But I bought the house I grew up in. Lots of nostalgia filled it for me to consider having someone else tear it down for their own gains.

The reason I'm here is because someone called me. To meet them here.

But as I stand here and look at the old run down tree house and the stained, brittle piece of paper, even more memories surface. Like the time Marcus broke his arm trying to play football as he smashed into the tree without looking. Or how we would stay up late and sleep inside the tree. Marcus and Mia were a couple, always laying down together. Lenny being a loner and sleeping off to the side. And Sara and I sleeping side by side even though she never accepted to be my girlfriend.

"Brings back memories right?" A voice asked from behind.

"How long has it been? A decade? Two?" I asked without budging.

"Aww, you won't even look at me? Did I hurt you that much?" Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her come next to me.

"Do you know what happened to them? All our friends?"

"I know that Marcus died. Something about a mugging gone wrong," solemn silence filled us for a few seconds.

"I take it you missed me?" I smirked as I finally turn to her.

Her blue eyes and short hair tied into a ponytail with bangs styled in front of her meshed well with her tanned skin. It was breathtaking to see her again. She was breathtaking

"James," she warned me with a quick glare.

Yet she closed the space between us. I could feel her figure pressing against me as she placed a delicate hand on my chest. I kept my gaze stern as she let her's soften.

"Do you know what happened to her? Sara?" I asked.

"Are you still obsessing with her?!" She was mad now.

She withdrew from me and crossed her arms as she turned away. We shivered as our separation made us vulnerable to the cold breeze that washed over us.

"I'm sorry. But I have to know."

...

"She doesnt deserve you," she muttered to a point where I could barely even hear it.

"I'm not asking if she deserves me. I'm asking what happened to her."

“This is why we took a break. You couldn’t stop talking about her. Thinking about her. She’s a problem in your mind. Poison that stops you from forming any other bonds. When will you realize that it isn’t healthy. Live in the now, not in the past. Please,” she pleaded.

I kept my gaze straight. She sighed.

"Uh..she's married. Somewhere in Atlanta" - Atlanta? That's where we always dreamed of going - "She's got a couple of kids, I talked to her a few days ago. She became a Finance Manager."

Wait a minute. She never liked anything that involved math. And she used to talk a lot about saving innocent people from being incarcerated falsely. Something's not right here.

"Lily, tell me the truth." I pleaded.

She frowned. She never like the nickname I gave her. Well she did sometimes, but when I used it in this context, it was like vinegar to her.

"Fine. She went to New York trying to find you. I think she also has feelings for you. That's why I did want to tell you. I know you would choose her over me. You've always done that, even as we were kids. It always broke my heart but I know that you two share a connection. Something that we don't for the most part. But it still doesn't stop me from loving you. I lost someone once, I don't know if I could do it again. But I also don't want you to stay just because I guilted you into it. The questions is, do you love me?" I didn't know the answer. I was caught in a walk wire thousands of feet up with both ends burning.

"You really have to think of it?" Her voice cracked. I could tell that she was hurt and I was the one that caused her suffering.

"No. No. No. Sara and I are a thing of the past. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Only you,” I screwed up. I screwed up big time. What kind of an asshole has to think about whether or not they love their girlfriend? Ugh! She was right about the memory of Sara not being good for me. Especially being bad for our relationship.

I rushed over to her and pulled her into an embrace trying to comfort her. I tried to soothe her with my words. And it kind of worked. She relaxed in my arms and leaned on me. We collapsed onto the couch where we laid for the rest of the evening, in each other’s arms. It was wonderful. I always loved being with her like this.

And I meant what I said. Sara was in the past. Mia was my future.