who: @zeke-bennett where: whatever gym zeke works at
david had known seeing zeke again was only a matter of time. they had been friends once, back in high school, before life had split them cleanly in different directions. zeke had gotten his girlfriend pregnant and dropped out, and leena, with all the firm certainty of a mother who believed she knew best, had decided david was no longer allowed to spend time with him. david had listened. of course he had. at the time, listening had been easier than arguing.
and so the friendship had fizzled. not with some great falling out. just slowly, quietly, until one day they were people who used to know each other. now they were grown men, and somehow that made approaching him feel even worse. david had joined the gym under the very thin excuse of wanting to be more active, but the truth was embarrassingly simple: he knew zeke worked there. he had thought, if anyone was going to make the first move, it should probably be him. after all, david was the one who had disappeared.
he spotted zeke across the room and stopped for half a second too long, his hand tightening around the strap of his gym bag. ridiculous, really. he had prepared bodies for funerals with steadier nerves than this. with a quiet sigh, david forced himself forward. βhey, zeke,β he said, lifting a hand in a small, awkward greeting. the smile that followed was faint, but genuine. βlong time no see.β
