Carrie Lettings

Carrie kept her hands wrapped around the warm mug. That was nice. Inside was hot chocolate, steam still pluming off the top of it. She didn't even bother taking a sip. It would burn—and plus, she wanted something in her hands right now. They were cold, and it would look better when Sarah showed up if she already had a drink. She wanted to look settled, like she cozy in her sweater and scarf, like she was as warm as a kitten and would be good to snuggle up with.

The cafe was crowded but quiet. Everyone was scooted close to each other, and their conversations were but faint whispers. The cashier was playing The Decemberists, but the volume was down low. Hardly anyone moved, and the loudest noise was the woman nearby, flipping through her book. Carrie blew on her hot chocolate, watching as the the white cream swirled around on top. It was the perfect moment for Sarah to show up, and when Carrie felt the other girl's eyes on her, she immediately looked up with a big smile. She could feel the twinkle in her eye.

“Hey!” Sarah smiled back just as brightly, and soon they were hugging each other, kissing one another's cheeks. Carrie felt little tears gathering in her eyelashes, but she blinked those away. Take her friend by the shoulders, she stood back and looked at what Sarah had become. It had been years, but the changes were no surprise. The dykey haircut, the ring through her upper-lip. They had Facebook now. Sarah might have been miles away, but it was like they still lived together. Everything about her new look was immediately familiar.

“Wow. It's so good to see you.” Sarah seemed surprised by her own words, and this only made Carrie smile bigger.

“Yeah.” Sarah's eyes were roving her face, picking up every little detail. Carrie could feel her own eyes doing the same thing. “I know exactly what you mean.” And then they just stood there, staring at each other, taking in the fine details that Facebook didn't allow. Sarah was as gorgeous as ever, and now she had the attitude to match. Carrie knew that she'd be watching her friend all afternoon, just like this: marveling at the smiles, the sighs, the old habits.

Finally, Sarah looked away to eye the cafe. “This place hasn't changed at all, has it?” Carrie just shook her head, never taking her eyes off her friend. “Are the Americanas still the best?”

“Nope. The hot chocolate's still best.” The was a pause, then they both cracked up. “You should have some of mine. You look like you could use some warming up.”

And with that, they sat down next to each other and took turns sipping from the hot chocolate. The silence between them was long and comfortable. Even if they had a thousand stories to tell each other, that was unimportant. What was truly important was this, was being this close. They could share stories through email, but they could never feel the warmth radiating off each others bodies. Maybe that would all be moot now, though. Maybe they should share everything again.

Soon the mug was almost empty, and only a little bit of white foam floated on top.

“So you're thinking about coming back?”

“Yeah.”

Sarah's voice was as warm as the hot chocolate, as calm as a winter day.

“We've missed you.”

“I know.”

And the other girl was smiling. It was the faintest thing. Carrie could have watched that face all day.

“Let's get another cup.”