All Chapters of Nice to See You Again: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

From that day on...We were *we*.There was no awkward conversation.No grand confession.No cheesy, "Will you be my girlfriend?" moment.We just... knew.Nothing really changed.And yet, everything had.We still talked on the phone every afternoon.We still teased each other.We still argued over movies and pizza toppings.The only difference was...Now, whenever I heard his voice, I smiled a little bigger.Whenever we said goodbye, it lingered a little longer.Somehow, without either of us saying it out loud...We had become each other's person.The kiss happened on October 18.Neither of us officially declared it, but somehow we both remembered the date.Every year after that, October 18 became our anniversary.If anyone ever asked when we started dating, we'd both answer the same way."October 18."Then we'd look at each other and laugh because neither of us had actually asked the other out.High school became a collection of memories with him.Every homecoming...He was my date.

Prom night.Sophie and I had been counting down the days for weeks.Her mom worked her magic on my dress until it fit like it had been made just for me.No one would have guessed it had come from the clearance rack and was originally three sizes bigger than me.To save a little money, Sophie and I even watched tutorials and learned how to make our own boutonnieres and corsages.Sophie wore maroon to match her date.Matt and I wore white.The dress ended up being everything I'd hoped for. It was made of a silky fabric that hugged my figure, with a halter neckline that made me feel more mature.When Matt picked me up, he was wearing a white tuxedo with a black ribbon tie.For a moment...Neither of us said anything."You look..." he started."Beautiful."I felt my cheeks warm."You don't look so bad yourself."He laughed."I'll take that."Looking back at our prom pictures...I still think we were the best-dressed couple there.Don't tell Sophie I said that.The night was everything I'd

We only had four weeks together before Matt had to leave for Marine Corps boot camp.Four weeks.It sounded like plenty of time.It wasn't.We packed something into almost every day.I had started working a part-time job at Macy's, partly because I wanted a little spending money before college, but mostly because I wanted us to make as many memories as we could while we still had the chance.We went to Disneyland.We hiked trails we'd never been on before.We met up with friends whenever we could.I dragged him to restaurants so he could finally branch out and order something besides the same meal every time.Sometimes he did.Sometimes he didn't.Either way, I considered it progress.We laughed.We drove around with no destination.We stayed out until curfew, pretending the summer would never end.I think we were both trying to outrun the countdown.Neither of us wanted to admit it.Every day that passed was one day closer to goodbye.On our last day together before he left...We fou

Little by little...I became a little braver.Not all at once.Just enough to start living again.I picked up a seasonal full-time job at a smoothie shop.College was only weeks away, and I wanted to save as much money as I could before moving to Washington.I'd already signed my very first student loan.Holding those papers in my hands made everything suddenly feel real.I wasn't just leaving home.I was becoming an adult.The smoothie shop kept me busy.Most days, I came home smelling like strawberries and bananas.I met some of the nicest customers.And some of the strangest.There was one regular who insisted that adding six different supplements to his smoothie somehow made it taste better.It didn't.Another customer asked if we could make a smoothie without any fruit.I never figured out what he actually wanted.Every night, after work, I'd sit down at my desk and write to Matt.Sometimes the letters were long.Sometimes they were only a page.But I never missed a day.I told h

Our reunion was short-lived.Not long after graduation, Matt had to leave again for more training.Around the same time, I was getting ready to leave for Washington to start college.Time suddenly felt precious again.Just like before, we pulled out our calendars and filled every free day we had together.Movie nights.Lunch dates.Beach walks.Even quick coffee runs somehow became something worth looking forward to because we knew every moment counted.There was one weekend, though, that Matt refused to tell me about."I already made plans," he said with a grin."What plans?""You'll see."I frowned."I don't like surprises."He laughed."Yes, you do.""I like planning things.""I know.""I especially like planning our trips together.""I know that too.""So why won't you tell me?"He reached over and squeezed my hand."Because I promised you'll like this one.""I don't know...""Trust me."I protested more than a few times over the next week.Every day I'd try a different approach.