Meet Me in Paris

Eliana’s POV

The air at the airport was a mixture of excitement and sadness. Standing next to Oliver, my best friend of many years, I watched Wendel weave his way through the crowd. His backpack slung solemnly over one shoulder, an innocent smile on his face, touching the emotions I knew were swirling inside him.

“Can you believe he’s doing this?” I whispered to Oliver, my voice carrying a hint of disbelief.

Oliver’s eyes fixed on Wendel. “I know, it’s like he woke up one morning and decided to follow his wildest dream.”

As Wendel approached, our sad faces turned into bright smiles. We were determined to give him a send-off he would remember. Wendel greeted us with a warm hug, and the three of us stood together for a moment.

“So, off to Dubai, right?” I said with sadness. I’m going to miss my best friend so badly.

Wendel laughed, his eyes narrowed in confusion. “Dubai, the land of dreams and desert sand. Who knows what adventures await?”

Oliver laughed. “Just promise me you won’t get lost in a desert somewhere.”

Wendel gave an odd gasp. “Oh, awesome! I’ll be sure to bring a GPS for the desert.”

I smiled, feeling a pang of sadness beneath the smile. Especially on the welcome front, we were masters of the art of masking our emotions with humor. But there was an unspoken understanding between us—it wasn’t always goodbye, just “we’ll see later.”

“You know,” I said, trying to lighten the mood, “if you ever stumble upon a genie lamp in the desert, don’t forget to wish for world peace.”

Wendel greeted him playfully. “World peace, it’s coming along. And for you, Eliana, I’m also throwing in a lifetime supply of chocolates.”

I rolled my eyes, his thoughtfulness melting my heart. “How could I turn down an offer like this? Just make sure it’s the best chocolate, not some random convenience store.”

Oliver joined in; his smile was infectious. “And get me a pet camel. I’ve always wanted to ride one.”

Wendel’s laughter echoed through the airport, catching the attention of passersby. “You’ve got it, Oliver. I’ll make sure to handpick the best camels in all of Dubai.”

The announcement for Wendel’s plane began playing over the loudspeakers, a reminder that the dreaded moment was here. We exchanged a final kiss, our kiss a mixture of friendship and goodbye.

“Stay safe out there, Wendel,” I whispered, my voice betraying my deepest emotions.

He held me for a moment before releasing me and closing my eyes. “You too, Eliana. Spread that smile and joy wherever you go.”

When Wendel turned to leave, a lump formed in my throat. I watched him leave, a mixture of pride and sadness floating inside me. This was his time, his time to pursue his dreams, and I knew he would conquer any challenge that came his way.

“It’s just the two of us now,” Oliver smiled at me as we headed back to his car.

“We need new friends now since Wendel left us,” I chuckled.

“We sure do,” He said while we were walking.

Oliver and Wendel have been my constant since college. There were no dull moments with them. I enjoyed every second and treasure every memory I had with them. We’ve gotten closer since college and I didn’t regret hanging out with them instead of my girlfriends.

Boys have less drama, unlike girls. We were just chilling and loving the company we shared with each other; when I decided to stop hanging with my girlfriends, it became a huge issue, but to tell you the truth. I don’t regret that decision, it was the best to remove the toxic and negativity those people brought into my life.

I am not saying that all girls are toxic; it’s just that, unfortunately, the friends I had before were like that. I still have girlfriends, but very few. I still chose the friendship I have with these two goofies, but now that Wendel has left. I’m stuck with Oliver. I don’t know if I’d be happy to have him all alone or be sad because it’s just the two of us now.

“What are you thinking?” Oliver asked me while he was driving me back home.

“About our friendship, I mean the three of us,” I said. I almost stutter.

“Don’t think too much, Eli,” he said. “Don’t overthink. Just because Wendel left doesn’t mean our friendships were over.”

“He must be far away from us now, but I’m pretty sure nothing will change in our friendship. That’s how strong our bond is. Okay?” he smiled as he messed my hair, and I punched him for doing that. It took me an hour to fix this hair, and he’s going to mess it up. No way.

This man always assured me that everything would be okay in every aspect of life, and I always felt comforted whenever he did that. Maybe that was one of the reasons why I liked Oliver.

Yes. I liked Oliver. My best friend and I were such a fool for falling in love with my best friend, but I kept it to myself. I never told anyone or Wendel about my feelings for Oliver. I didn’t want to be the reason why things would get awkward between us. I didn’t want to lose him as my best friend. Sometimes I think about confessing but does risk our friendship for these damn feelings worth it in the end? What if he didn’t feel the same way? What if our friendship crumbled? He’ll probably think of me as his sister, and I couldn’t bear the thought of Oliver not being in my life after all these years of close friendships.

I stole a glance at Oliver, and I realized how my heart betrayed me for having feelings for this man. I adored him so much: his values, the way he treated women, and his dreams.

“You’re being too sentimental,” he laughed as he noticed that I was quiet, looking outside the window of his car while he was driving.

“Just a little emotional, you know? I’ll miss our friend,” I said. “I’ll miss him too, we’re all going to miss him, but we’ll surely see each other again, Eli,” I smiled, and he stopped the car in front of my house.

“I’ll see you next week,” he said as I opened the door of his car, and my heart melted.