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A wave of nostalgia hit the moment we walked inside as the familiar scents of the place filled my nostrils. Joe's Bowling Alley was buzzing with the usual crowd: a few families, some teenagers hanging around the arcade machines, and a couple of older guys grumbling over coffee in the corner. The scent of greasy fries and freshly waxed bowling lanes hit me like a warm, comforting blanket.
As we stepped further inside, I scanned the room, looking for our friends. For some reason I felt nervous, my heart racing a little at the thought of seeing them after half a year away. The last time I saw them in person was the ski trip we took in the Aspin mountains after I had recovered. After that, it was mostly online and even then, our schedules never synced up since they are 5 hours behind the UK here.
The chatter and laughter in the place helped calm my mind though as I had spent many of days here, good and bad ones. "You're back Mr superstar, missed my burgers from across the pond or something?" Old man Joe exclaimed from behind the counter instantly capturing my and a few other's attention.
"Old Joe they appear in my dreams, don't let my sister know but they are the true reason I came back early," I replied with an excited smile whispering the latter half of my sentence just loud enough for Emma and Joe to hear.
Joe laughed, a deep, hearty sound that echoed throughout the diner. "You're a character, kid! Now go grab a seat I'll throw your usual on the green, get a milkshake on the house kids," he replied before turning around to head towards the kitchen as he hummed a country tune.
"You know he treats you better than his own grandkids," Emma commented form nudging my side as she pulled me along with her having already spotted our friends. "Naw old man Joe is nice to everyone, he just loves football, the real kind," I replied with a smile knowing full well how much the man loves the sport. I've visited his house once and he practically has a room dedicated to memorabilia from his favourite players and Iconic moments in the sport.
Turning to look to see where she was leading me, I spotted a familiar back with wavy peach blond hair cascading down her back. She was standing in front of a pool table watching as two boys were engaged in a game, whom I now recognise as Reece and Bennett. Reece stood tall at around 6'4-6'6 with his dirty blond hair cut in a fade, matched by his stocky build which seemed to have gained more muscles since U last saw him.
Bennet on the other hand was a few heads shorter than him reaching around 5'9 at most. However, from the little I could tell from the joggers he was wearing he didn't lack in the muscles department either. 'Guess Varsity Football is treating them well,' I thought to myself as my eyes wandered to the next two people with them.
They were the figures of Olivia and Lexi seated in a booth close by engrossed in in a conversation as they nursed a milkshake. Both of them were dressed fashionably with Lexi wearing a green skirt and a white sleeveless top giving her an effortless cute look. Olivia on the other hand wore a dark grey tank top with matching joggers showcasing her athletic figure.
Despite both of them looking beautiful my eyes inadvertently drifted back to the peach-blond girl who had her back towards me. She stood as tall as ever easily 6'0 dressed in a floral long skirt with a matching crop top drawing my eyes to her beautiful figure. 'This is the second time this has happened this month, Eva I think I might have caught something,' I thought inwardly not understanding why my body seemed to suddenly do its own thing in these moments.
It's not like it did this to every beautiful girl I saw, that would just be ridiculous since if you took a second to really look around you, you would notice all the beautiful girls around you. Who you are attracted to can change at a moment's notice instantly changing what you consider as beautiful, and I knew this. What I didn't get was why I was feeling this feeling of attraction that I hadn't felt in both of my lives.
{Maybe you really are coming down with something,} Eva commented sounding genuinely thoughtful but again I didn't get to focus on it as the moment May turned around the feeling intensified. Like a bad rom-com my world stood still for a second colours became more vibrant almost like when I entered the zone in one of my dribbles. However, this time I took a second to appreciate it and the source of it all was the emerald green eyes gazing at me and her face that lit up with a bright smile.
{yep, you've definitely caught something,} Eva's voice once again fell on deaf ears as my entire focus was on the figure that continued to get closer. "Look who's finally back in town!" she called, loud enough to draw the attention of Reece and Bennett, who were mid-shot in their pool game. As a result, Reece sent the ball flying into the air sending it flying off the pool table and rolling on the ground.
As if fate decided to do its thing the ball that flew to the ground landed exactly where my left foot was about to step. What happened next was a scene straight out of Tom and Jerry as I lost my footing and before I knew it, I was stumbling forward, arms flailing. My fall was only stopped when my face hit something soft and bouncy, and someone embraced me.
At first, I felt a feeling of comfort so heavenly that even Joe's Burger didn't enter my mind. However, from that heavenly feeling realisation soon donned on me as my brain started to piece together what it could possibly be. Realising that my face was most likely resting on Mays mounds my cheeks instantly flushed as I slowly lifted my head.
Coming face to face with May's blushing face I didn't know whether to thank my lucky stars or be angry at them for what was about to be an awkward situation. Looking into her eyes I didn't know what to say for a moment but lucky for me my dearest sister came in clutch. "(Ahem) You two need a room or something?" Her voice sounded behind me instantly breaking whatever moment that lingered between us.
My cheeks felt like they were on fire as I scrambled to my feet, trying to regain my composure. May's bright smile turned into a playful smirk, but I could still see the tint of red on her cheeks as she tried to appear composed. "Way to make an entrance, Rakim," Liv said from the side before pulling me into a quick hug, having jumped up from her seat when she saw us.
"Maybe I'm still jet lagged," I responded before being pulled into another hug by Lexi who was as energetic as I remembered her. "Did you grow taller or something?" She commented trying the moment she released me before going ahead to check me from head to toe. Although she was quite tall at around 5'10 she still had to tilt her head to make eye contact with me.
"Sup guys, how you getting on?" I asked the rest of them the moment she released me taking a second to look over them.