It was a beautiful hot May afternoon and Johnny was lounging on his patio, drinking on a ice cold bottle of water and enjoying the warm breeze. His phone buzzed in his pocket - an unknown number flashed on the screen.
"Hello?" he answered cautiously.
"Johnny? It's...Erica" The voice on the other end was tentative.
Erica. His mind raced back over 5 years. Erica was the one that got away - they had dated for 2 years before a nasty breakup that over time left them both looking foolish and resentful.
"Erica, hey...wow. Hi." Johnny couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice.
"I know this is out of the blue," Erica continued. "I just...I don't know. I was thinking about you today and wondered if you ever think about me?"
Johnny paused for a bit too long before replying honestly, "Yeah, you know I do." The two were nervous at first when they started talking, but over time there conversation started come more flowed more naturally as they reminisced about them old days.
"Well, this was nice catching up," Erica said finally. "I'm actually just down the street right now if you...if you maybe wanted to talk or meet up?"
Johnny's mind started wandering. "Uh, yeah. Yeah I can be there in 10 minutes?"
When he arrived at Erica's place, she stood in the doorway looking achingly familiar yet somehow different. Before Johnny could overthink it, they fell into an intense embrace, holding each other tightly as the memories washed over them. They made their way through the kitchen, settling on the couch to continue catching up.
One minute they were talking and laughing, and the next their lips were crashing together, her hands pulled him closer. In a blink of an eye, clothes went flying as they rediscovered each other. The neighbors likely heard Erica's cries of ecstasy as months of unresolved tension finally released.
Afterwards, Johnny laid in a dazed, his head spinning. Abruptly, Erica rolled over and started gathering his clothes.
"You should go," she said flatly, handing him his shirt. The vulnerability and connection from moments earlier had vanished.
Johnny opened his mouth, he was about to ask her a question, but Erica cut him off. "Please, just go."
He stood in front of the door, scathing his head as he walks out the door and it closed firmly behind him. Erica leaned back against it, squeezed her eyes shut, and let out a slow breath.
Was that...the closure I needed? she thought. But he was incredible through.