When Nora came back from dropping off Lizzie at soccer, I asked her if we could make Lizzie's favorite meal. We did. It felt good, doing something like this for Lizzie, after so much time apart. When it was ready, she began to set the table, and I carried our food up to my room. I knew we couldn't sit there crying in front of the whole family, and I knew she cried when she was happy, when she was sad, anytime she got really emotional. I suspected I myself might shed a tear or two as well. I remember so well, just before I kissed her, as we stood there crying, even though I've never understood why. So our first time speaking again had to be in private. But that didn't mean our first time seeing each other again had to be. I knew the family would want to see for themselves that we were okay, so as they ate dinner I waited at the bottom step of the main stairs for her ride to drop her off. Only a few minutes after the rest of the family had started eating, the front door opened and there she was.

I opened the door after soccer practice and came face-to-face with Edwin—and the rest of the family. Suddenly, though, I didn't care that I had an audience. Almost like a scene from a movie, we slowly regarded each other again as friends, as opposed to the hurtful stares we'd been sharing more than enough of for the last two months. Finally we walked toward each other and hugged like we'd never let go. Then, silently, we made our way up to Edwin's room, away from the stares of our family. I gasped when he opened to door. It looked exactly as it had on my birthday. I stared at him.

"I didn't have the heart to change it, Liz. When you ran out on me, I felt like my world would never be whole again. So I left it to remind myself of the last time it was."

And all this time I'd thought he hated me! "What do you mean? I didn't run out on you."

"Yes you did, the second our lips parted you ran down these stairs like I had done something to hurt you."

"You mean that's why you didn't talk to me? I was scared, Ed. I was afraid things would change." I chuckled now at my fears. "I was worried we'd turn into some 'teenage' thing, and when it ended we'd be over too. Unlike any other guy who might try to kiss me I have to actually live with you. I was worried what it'd be like if we didn't speak again with you right upstairs. I guess we got a pretty good taste of that anyway."

"So why didn't you tell me that, Liz? Why'd you run away from me? Don't you know we can tell each other anything? Or we used to."

"No, I didn't know that. Not then. But I do now. I'm sorry about the last two months. I'm sorry I didn't try to talk to you sooner. I'm sorry about not laying the cards on the table right then and there."

"No! Lizzie, I should be the one apologizing. I'm the one who hurt you. I'm the one who gave you all those mean looks."

"Only because I was giving mean looks to you, too!"

We started laughing "We were both fools, Liz."

I sat there contemplating whether to do what I wanted to do, and decided worrying had only gotten me the worst two months of my life, so to heck with worrying, just do it. This time couldn't be clumsy. This time had to count for something. This time would be beautiful. I wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him close to me and I kissed him. Through a couple of tears and lots of smiles, sighs of content and a bit of chuckling, we kissed again. And this time I didn't run. This time I stayed, and talked, and got reacquainted with my best friend. Never again would I behave so foolishly. Because in those two months I learned a lesson. If you have a fight with your best friend, you can never lose each other. Not really. Even if you thought you had, they'd be lying in bed not sleeping at night wondering how they could possibly win you back and your thoughts would mirror theirs. When you have a friendship like that, even death couldn't separate you. It just took me running away to see that.

When Lizzie kissed me I knew we had come full circle. We'd taken the long road home, and driven some bumpy roads, but I knew never again would we be apart. With a best friend like her, I would always be happy. And when the rest of the family had finished dinner and crept up the stairs to find us still entwined in our embrace, never letting go, crying still, I knew they knew it too. A few minutes later, Casey snuck into the room, and the room filled with the soul searching music of Carole King.

You just call out my name

And you know wherever I am

I'll come running to see you again

Winter, spring, summer, or fall

All you have to do is call

And I'll be there, you've got a friend

We were home.

A/N: I hoped you guys liked it. There may be a sequel coming set a couple of years later.