"What do you think the plan should be today?" Leila asked Fuji. The fat gray tabby was comfortably sitting on her lap as she sipped on her morning cup of coffee. He glanced up at her with his bright green eyes and let out a quiet mew.

"You're right. I think heading down to the beach and grabbing some breakfast does sound good," Leila replied. "Thank you for the wonderful suggestion," she told the cat, giving him some chin scratches as a reward.

Living alone often meant Leila had free time galore, and while she found ways to spend it with family and friends, every once in a while, she had a weekend where she didn't know what to do with herself, which led to asking suggestions from her cat. For the most part, living on her own didn't bother Leila, especially during the work week, but it was during the long, summer weekends that occasionally the loneliness would creep in. Getting out and distracting herself always seemed to help.

Leila threw on a light sundress and drove her car down to the beach once more. While it was tempting to head to breakfast right away, she noticed that the beach hadn't filled with tourists yet and decided a walk should take priority. Though morning, the air was already growing hot and humid, so Leila walked along the shore, allowing the cool waves to wash over her feet. She smiled out over the water, suddenly feeling a rush of nostalgia as she fondly remembered her childhood days spent at the beach playing in the sand.

A strange emotion bubbled inside Leila, one she could not describe. Despite walking along one of the beaches she had frequented as a child, it felt foreign to her in a sense. Since moving home from college, nothing had felt the same as when she had left it, despite nothing changing much. Frustrated, Leila decided her empty stomach was causing her to feel these thoughts and decided to leave the serene seashore behind.

The shops were already bustling with people. Leila navigated through the crowds on the sidewalk until her eyes caught on a café sign in the distance: Café Cappuccino. She remembered frequenting the spot once or twice, either with her friends or on a bad date, but she recalled they made a good omelet, and their coffee wasn't bad either.

Leila stepped inside the busy shop. A stern-looking man approached her with a round golden nameplate that said "Todd."

"How can I help you?" he asked.

"Table for one. Is it possible for me to get a seat on the patio?" she asked.

The man, Todd, glanced out the window, then nodded. "Looks like you got the last one. Follow me," he said, leading her through the maze of tables out onto the patio. Once again Leila was greeted by warm, salty air. She sat comfortably at the table, thanked the man as he handed her the menu, and began combing through it, trying to remember which omelet she had ordered the occasions she had come here.

Leila glanced up, noticing families eating together or couples enjoying a morning breakfast. She knew she couldn't be the only one sitting alone, and yet, she felt her shoulders curl forward slightly, as if she was trying to hide herself in the sea of people so no one would take note of her solitude.

"Did I get the one with green onions or the one that had avocado?" Leila murmured to herself as she tried to decide between two omelet options that looked enticing to her.

A hand gently set a water glass down in front of her.

"Thank you," Leila murmured, her eyes still glued to the menu.

"Can I get you anything?" the waitress asked.

There was some familiarity to her voice that Leila couldn't quite put a finger on. She thought nothing of it and instead began asking a question. "Do you recommend the cheddar bacon omelet or..." Her voice drawled off as she looked up and finally made eye contact with the waitress. Leila's jaw nearly dropped. "Mia?!"

It couldn't be, but Leila was sure it was. She practically looked identical to her eleven-year-old self, save for some age. Her hair was the same shade of blonde, her eyes still the same striking hazel, and her hair length was still slightly above her shoulder, just as eleven-year-old Mia had kept it.

The waitress seemed suddenly taken aback. "Holy shit," she murmured, almost too loudly. She quickly lowered her voice. "Leila?"

"Mia! It is you! How are you?!" Leila exclaimed, suddenly excited. Though the thought of Mia would cross her mind every now and then, Leila never expected to see her again. Their friendship had dissolved naturally in high school, what with being long distance, and Leila was under the assumption she would never see Mia again. But here was Mia, in the flesh, taking her order.

Mia was tripping over her own words. "G-Good, I guess. Uh—"

"Wait, what are you doing here? When did you move back to Maine?!"

"I just moved back a few months ago, actually," Mia explained.

"You were still living in Missouri before that?"

"No. New York. I went to college there," Mia said. She fumbled with the pen in her hand and glanced around nervously. Leila wasn't sure why. Finally, Mia looked back down at her. "And you've been...here?"

"I went further in-state for college, but I moved back a year ago," Leila explained. Silence suddenly filled the air between them. "Mia," Leila said, gathering her attention again. "It's really good to see you."

Mia nodded. "I guess I should've realized I'd run into you eventually. It's such a small town after all," she said.

Leila opened her mouth to speak again, but Mia cut her off.

"I'm sorry, but my manager is going to yell at me if I don't take your order and move on to the next table. Um," Mia glanced down at her notebook and scribbled something in it before handing the sheet of paper to Leila. "It's my number. We can catch up later, okay?"

Leila placed the paper in her pocket and nodded. "You didn't answer my question about the omelet though," she teased.

"Get the bacon cheddar," Mia said.

"Alright," Leila agreed, watching as Mia scribbled down the order.

"Um, let me know if you need anything else," Mia said before rushing off to the next table.

Leila leaned back in her chair and smiled. She wasn't sure what this warm and fuzzy feeling was inside her, but she was happy to see Mia again. She opened up the sheet of paper Mia gave her, slightly disappointed to find it was only her phone number. The Mia she had known would've doodled a little character for her as well. Well, Leila supposed people changed with time. It had been twelve years after all.

Leila eagerly waited to chat with Mia every time she returned to the table, but Mia only had time for a word or two before having to head off to her other customers. Leila watched from afar as Mia clumsily waited other tables. Finally, Leila took the time to stop and consider why it was that Mia had moved home, and why Mia was waiting tables at this café of all places.

A half hour later, a very exhausted looking Mia returned to bring Leila her check.

"Thanks for the suggestion. I really liked the omelet," Leila said as she grabbed the pen and check from Mia.

"Can you say that louder so my manager overhears?" Mia asked.

Leila giggled slightly. "How much longer until you're off?"

Mia frowned. "It's a long shift today unfortunately."

Disappointment flooded through Leila, but she supposed it couldn't be helped. She'd just have to catch up with Mia a different time.

"No worries," Leila said as she handed back Mia the check. A few moments later, Mia returned with the receipt.

"Um, I'm sorry if I didn't say it earlier, but it's good to see you, too, Leila," Mia said. "I hope you've been well."

"I hope you have too," Leila said as she rose from her seat. She realized suddenly that she was looking down at Mia. They had always been around the same height as children, but it seemed now that she had finally outgrown her. She wondered what else had changed in that time.

"I'll reach out to you soon," Leila promised. "I'd love to catch up."

"Okay," Mia replied. "See you around."

"Have a good rest of your shift!" Leila called as Mia scurried off to her next table. She wasn't quite sure if Mia heard her. It seemed that after all this time, Mia still always had a million thoughts running through her head. Leila smiled to herself and headed out, feeling full and content.

That evening, Leila found herself back at her parents' house again for a family meal. As her father prepared dinner downstairs, Leila had torn her room apart looking for old scrapbooks and the box of letters that she and Mia used to exchange.

Finally, she found a scrapbook from fourth grade and slowly flipped through the pictures. A wave of memories washed over her. There was herself and Mia at the beach, which they often frequented, them playing on the tire swing at Mia's old house, a picture of them on their first day of school, another of them enjoying icecream. They were memories that Leila had not thought of in years, and yet they suddenly all unlocked again in her brain. Leila couldn't believe she had forgotten how happy she had been with Mia as she flipped through the pages.

The letter box was stashed near the scrapbooks. Leila opened the dusty shoebox lid, finding a stack of letters she and Mia had exchanged between the time they were eleven and fourteen. Slowly, Leila began reading the beginning lines of a few:

Dear Leila, we just moved into the house today. It's kind of weird not being by the ocean. We visited my family. My cousins are still annoying.

Dear Leila, how was your first day of school? My first day was today too. Thankfully everyone else is new to sixth grade, so it was really easy for me to find people to sit with at lunch. I hope I can even make a drawing club here soon!

Dear Leila, the summers here aren't really like the summers in Maine. I have to help watch my younger cousins a lot, and my aunt and uncle make me go to church on Sundays. I hope you're having a better summer than I am.

Dear Leila, another Christmas here in Missouri. There's not much to write on about. I wish I were back in Maine for Christmas. I hope you eat a big crab dinner for me. We're just having the usual ham.

Dear Leila, sorry that it's been a month since my last letter. I've been really busy with school. How are you doing? Are you excited to graduate middle school soon? I can't believe it's been three years since I last saw you.

Dear Leila, I hope your first day of high school went well. I'm kind of nervous to go to a new school again, but some of my friends from middle school are attending with me. I'm jealous they get rides to school. I have to walk in the heat.

Leila continued sorting through, creating a timeline as she did so until she arrived at the last letter sent by Mia early into her spring semester their freshman year of high school. The letter was not more than a few sentences.

Dear Leila,

I hope you had a good Christmas. And Thanksgiving. Sorry. I've been really busy. School is a lot of work, and I always have a lot of chores to do at home. Have a happy new year.

Mia

Leila remembered the letter well. She spent months agonizing over it. She had sent multiple in response, asking Mia if all was well. After all, the months had stretched longer between letters, and Mia gave less and less detail in each. She remembered complaining to her parents about it and them sitting her down and having an honest talk that some friendships weren't meant to last. Leila didn't want to believe them, but she knew they were right.

Mia never sent another letter after that last one. Leila never called Mia's house again. And even when they were in the cellphone and social media age, Leila never could find Mia's social media profiles, and since they had ended connection before Mia had gotten a phone, Leila never managed to get her number.

A light knock came at Leila's door.

"Come in," Leila called, finding her mother.

"Hey, was just going to tell you dinner was ready," her mother said. Her eyes fixated on the scrapbooks and letters spread across the carpet. "Well, you sure made a mess. Is it spring cleaning already?"

Leila laughed slightly. "No. It's not that," she said as she piled the letters back up and placed them back into the shoebox. "I ran into Mia today."

"Mia? As in Mia Cunningham from elementary school?" her mother asked.

Leila nodded.

"When did she move back?" her mother wondered. "I haven't heard that name from you in years."

"Just a few months ago. I haven't been able to catch up with her yet, but seeing her made me nostalgic. I remembered I kept all our old letters and pictures. I was just looking through them," Leila admitted. "It's been so long after all..."

"That poor girl. It must've been hard for her after her mom died. I hope she's doing well," Leila's mother remarked.

"Me too," Leila said. She succeeded in placing the letters and scrapbooks away back under her dresser and stood up, brushing the spare dust from her dress. "Anyway, I'm starving. What's for dinner?" she asked as she followed her mother down the steps.