16 years ago

"Mom I'm going to Lucas's." I shouted before sprinting off my house. I heard my mom asking me to wait for my sister who was still asleep but I was too excited to meet him after a month.

He went to his mother's house which was on the other side of the state and today he has returned. We have been friends from when we were three years old. Him and me. Other than Emily he was my best friend.

We first met when I accompanied my dad to his workplace. He was the office clerk's son. He kept me company the whole day and from then on we seemed to be running into each other every time.

It's been seven years and still we are close and talks with nothing to hide from each other.

I reached his house which was a small white one storeyed house with two bedrooms. I loved his house more than mine, everything in here was warm and pretty.

"Lucas." Before he could even react I swung my arms around him rocking him side to side with excitement.

"Eliza. I missed you." He said hugging me back.

"I missed you too. You know I was so bored without you." I couldn't help but pout a little.

"You had Emily. It must not be that boring."

"But still you weren't there. And besides who would I go with for archery lessons then?"

That was the place were we meet up everyday. The main reason I go for archery in the first place. My parents won't allow me to go to his house everyday. But if we go for our training classes we will get to meet each other no matter what.

He was homeschooled and the archery lessons were given by his uncle. To get to join the class I asked my parents for it as my eighth birthday present. It's been two years now.

No matter how hard school or homeworks can be for a ten year old I would still manage to attend the class. That's how important it was for me.

-

9 years back from present

The morning sun was bright and the light shone in through the windows, spilling everywhere in my bedroom reflecting the painted glass bottles hung up on the walls.. Even if it was only six, I was excited. Today was my graduation and also my seventeenth birthday.

I quietly walked to Emily's room and jumped on her bed, waking her up in the process.

"Really? It's six for god's sake." Emily grumbled slumping back to the pile of blankets.

"But it's our birthday. And graduation." I exclaimed laying on top of the blankets which was above her.

Without any warning she pushed me from her making me take a perfect landing on the floor.

"Ouch Ema." I got up to pull away her blankets but saw she was already up staring at nothing.

"It's graduation." That being said she swung off the covers and went to the washroom leaving me all confused.

I walked away to my own room to freshen up and was greeted by others before I got the chance to slip away from our house to the park near me.

Our usual meeting spot.

"Happy Birthday to the most beautiful person I ever know." I turned around and saw him smiling widely showing his perfect set of teeth. His hair took painstaking amount of hours work to look messy. It made him look cuter. Everything about him was like that, perfect in all sense.

I hugged him mumbling a thank you which came out muffled because of how tall he was and I reached up only to his chest. I felt him stiffen for a second but quickly relaxed and hugged me back.

"I thought you wouldn't come." He said once we pulled back, his face red, the sun really must have took its toll on him waiting for me.

"Ofcourse I wouldn't miss this. This is our day. And then it's graduation." I was super thrilled and I didn't even know why. Maybe it's because I finally can leave school and its workload or maybe it's because of my birthday. Everybody says that I get excited even for small things, which is true. But Lucas always gets along with me.

"Which one are you more excited about? Graduation or reaching seventeen?"

"What if I say I'm more excited about you treating me with breakfast?" I wiggled my brows at him making him chuckle.

"You know breakfast is a given. Let's go." He turned and I jogged upto him locking my arms in his. His smile was warm and there was a glow in his eyes which I seemed to notice more these days. He pulled his arms away instead intertwined with mine. I smiled, liking how warm his hands were in this cold winter morning.

"Tell me, what are you going to wear today?" He asked once we got out of the cafe.

"I don't know, a dress maybe?" I clearly forgot about the outfit getting myself lost in the excitement.

"You remember that white crocheted dress? You looked so pretty in it. Well you look beautiful even in pyjamas." He never complimented me this directly and hearing him say it somehow made me speechless and red. I surprised myself because I always had a snarking remark to reply back instead I said.

"I will wear that then." Maybe he was shocked too so he looked at me intently and smiled squeezing my hands lightly before walking back to the park.

"This is for my birthday girl." He gave me a bright blue box tied with a glittery silver ribbon. I opened it and found a necklace with a small bow and arrow pendant on it studded with stones.

"It is beautiful. I love it so much." I hugged him tightly. It meant so much to me. Archery was our thing and to know it was important to him as much as it was to me really made me tear up.

He pulled away and took the necklace in his hands, "May I?" I nodded turning my back to him.

His warm hands were now cold making my hair rise up. Within few seconds he clasped it, his hands lingered a little longer around the chain before turning me to him. His hands away from my skin made me feel cold and longing.

"It looks really pretty on you." His eyes were burning inside me and I saw the same longing in him too.

I didn't know why I was noticing these little things about him now. I never tried reading through his eyes but now it meant something to me. It was foreign yet somehow familiar.