Lovebirds Since Youth

Chapter 3

We get to Toronto after about 10 hours of flight, at around maybe six in the afternoon.

We get another Uber to take us to a hotel near the studio in which I was going to be shooting, and check-in. We are probably going to be staying for maybe 6 months or so, I'm still not sure.

We take our luggage upstairs to room number 578. There were 2 bridal beds and my mom and dad would sleep on one and I got the other one for myself.

We were so tired, we all slept until it was about eight at night. My mom wakes me and my dad up to eat somewhere out.

"How about pizza? Fast and tasty." She says. We agree and take another Uber to take us to the nearest pizza restaurant to eat.

We order a pepperoni pizza and devour it in a few minutes. We were starving. We talk for a little while and then leave the restaurant by ordering what I hope will be our last Uber and tomorrow we'll rent a car but probably one that they won't let me drive.

We get to the hotel again, put on a family movie and drift off before we even finish it.

The next day, I wake up before either of my parents do so and, taking a small advantage, I dress up, leave a note and take some of my own money to play at the hotel arcade.

I head downstairs to the lobby to change my money for some arcade coins.

"Hi," I tell the lady. "I'd like to change my money for arcade coins, please."

"Sure thing. How much would you like?" She asks.

"Um... How much can I get from 15 dollars?" I ask.

"Around 25 coins, if I'm not wrong."

"Okay, great, here." I hand my money over to her.

"Just a sec." She tells me and goes in the back to get my coins.

Just then, I hear footsteps behind me. I turn around to see a guy slightly taller than me, wearing a hat and sunglasses. He stands by me on the lobby counter.

"Um... Hello?" I say.

"Hi..." He says.

We stay in awkward silence for a while.

"Do you know when the lady is coming back?" He asks.

"Um... Not really. Why? What would you like?" I ask.

"Oh, nothing. Just some coins to play in the arcade." He admits.

"Cool, I want coins for the arcade too." I laugh a little. "Such a coincidence huh?"

"I guess so." He chuckles.

"Hey, a little bit off-topic, but your voice sounds familiar to me," I say.

"Really? Well, you look kind of familiar to me too. Do I know you?"

"I mean, maybe without your 'disguise' I could figure out who you are."

"Yeah true." He laughs and then looks around to see if anyone was looking, which no one is. "Just don't freak out."

"Okay..." I say, confused.

He takes off his glasses and his hat. And that's when my heart sunk. That black and shiny hair, those green and hazel eyes and those lips I've been wanting to kiss for so long.

"Oh, my God. You're-" He cuts me off.

"Shh... Don't say it out loud please!" Aidan half screams, half whispers, covering my mouth. "I'll give you a reward, whatever you want, just please, don't say anything."

I look at him confused. Did he not remember me?

"Please." He pleads again.

I nod and he uncovers my mouth.

"Wait... Don't you remember me?" I ask, a little disappointed.

"Well, you do look very familiar, I told you, but I can't quite put my finger on it."

"(y/n)? (y/n) (l/n)? We were very close friends when we were little, remember?"

His face lits up, and so does mine with a touch of pink.

"Oh, my God! (y/n)?!" He hugs me tightly. "I've been trying to reach out to you for years! And I know you probably think I haven't but I have! I've missed you so so much!"

"Me too! You don't even know how much either!"

But he truly doesn't know how much I've missed him...

"How are you?" He says, letting me go.

"I'm very happy now, thanks. And you?" I say with a wide smile.

"Me too." He sighs. "It's been so long..."

"Yeah and now, we'll be filming The Umbrella Academy together soon," I say, grinning.

"What? No way!" He hugs me again. "Oh, my God! I'm so happy for you!"

Just then the lady comes back with a bag of arcade coins. Aidan lets me go and puts on his small disguise again.

"Here, this is for you." She says while handing me the coins.

"Thanks, ma'am," I say taking them.

"And what about you, young man?" She asks Aidan.

"I'd like some arcade coins too, please, thank you," Aidan says.

"Sure thing, here I brought more. How many would you like?"

"Um... 30 please." He hands over 20 dollars to the lady and she gives him the coins. "Thank you." He says, taking his coins.

We both head off to the arcade place and start playing random games there. We start talking about each other's lives and how much we missed each other.

"So, I get it why you're here at this hotel, but why did you decide to come down here to the arcade?" I ask him while playing.

"Well," he starts while throwing darts, "my parents are asleep and I wanted to have some fun for a while, you know?"

"Cool, so you're with your parents, un here with mine too. It's going to be such a great pleasure to see them again."

"I'm sure, and I say the same thing about your parents. But I'm also here with my-" A girl running into the arcade cuts him off mid-sentence.

"Oh Aidan, there you are! I've been looking for you! I thought you were having breakfast or something. Your parents are truly worried." And then she does something I never thought she would.

She kisses him on the lips.

"I'm sorry, Jane, I just wanted to have a little fun." He says after their kiss.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there. You are...?" The girl asks, looking at me for the first time.

"Oh, this is (y/n), remember? The one I've been talking about for almost a decade now?" Aidan says.

Well, at least he did talk about me. I thought he didn't remember me at all. At least that's one good thing today...

"Oh my! Hello! Yes, totally!" She says while running over to hug me. "Yes, Aidan has told me so much about you! Oh my gosh, you are so pretty, I already love and envy you!"

I don't think she envies me. I mean, she's a redhead and green-eyed girl, just like Aidan, and her hair reminds me of Amybeth McNulty in Anne With An E. She's gorgeous, she can't be envious of me at all.

"Oh, stop it. I'm already envious of you. I'm envious of your beauty!" I say, trying to sound as kind as possible.

And also about the fact that you just kissed my biggest childhood crush ever.

"Aw, you're so cute too. I think we could be true friends." She says, childishly.

"I'm not so sure about one thing though." I chuckle nervously. "You two are...?"

"Oh, right, she's Jane, my-" She cuts him off again.

"I'm Aidan's girlfriend."