All good storytelling starts with a beginning. The beginning sets the scene, the characters, and eventually it lands with a hook. A simple concept. The beginning is crucial for the pace of the story. It can’t jump too far forward, nor can it start too far back. This story, the day before, should suffice. A slice of life before my life turned upside down.

Rays of sunshine inched their way through my closed blinds. The sun’s warmth kissed my fuzzy cheeks. I could use an extra five minutes of sleep, maybe ten. My mind booted like an old computer. So much for sleeping in.

My name is Nick Cole. My parents call me a natural genius, but I don’t see it. I attend Bosley University as a mechanical engineering major. If I’m being honest with myself. I’m not sure I want to stay here anymore. 

I tried not to think about it too hard. I rolled on my back to face the ceiling of my small dorm room. Thoughts of regret seeped in as I tried to shut my brain off. 

The door slammed against the cheaply made wall and cracked it. Before I had any time to react, my dorm mate jumped from the foot of my bed and landed on top of me. 

Chris Benjamin, my best friend. We have been friends since birth, like our parents before. They joked we could never live without each other.

Chris had the tendency to be shy. Tall and chubby, he stood out against most at the college. Still dressing like it was the nineties, with his spiked blonde hair and new balance shoes. He chose computer science as his major… I hate when my parents are right.

“Get off me, you big goof.” I exclaimed.

I shoved Chris to the floor, and with a thud, he fell flat on his face. 

“Good morning to you too, asshole.” said Chris as he stood up. “Do you know what today is?”

I paused, thinking of everything it could be. I knew there was something. What was it? Maybe exams, or a new movie premiered? Wait. It was my birthday. How did I forget my birthday? 

“Don’t tell me you forgot your own birthday?” Chris asked.

“No, I was just… testing you,” I said, albeit nervously. “You passed.”

I could tell by Chris’s face he wasn’t buying it. I knew him. He was plotting something. I hate surprises. 

“Well, shall we go to breakfast?” asked Chris.

“Yeah, give me a sec. I’ll meet you down there.” Nick replied.

I threw off my covers and stretched to get the blood flowing. I opened the blinds to let light in. It took my eyes time to adjust. I saw Chris taking our shortcut we made. It’s the fastest way to arrive at the cafeteria. That’s what mattered. More time to eat food. 

I walked to my dresser and perused my clothing options. I threw something on that was practical. T-shirt and jeans. For where I was going, I didn’t need to dress fancy. Also, putting in effort for people I won't see again didn’t sound pleasing.

After dressing myself, I made the quick trek to the cafeteria. I made a beeline to the cereal station. After making a bowl, I searched for my friend. Chris was sitting alone in the back corner with a stack of pancakes drowning in syrup. 

‘A little less calorie intake would do you good, buddy,’ I thought.

I situated myself across the table from my best friend. He ate and scrolled through tumblr and I paid him no mind. The feeling of being watched washed over me while I ate my breakfast. There was Chris, watching in horror as I scarfed down my food.       

“Cereal again?” Chris asked. 

“It’s Lucky Charms, the breakfast of champions. Do you want some?”

I scooped up a spoon full and moved my hand towards his mouth making airplane noises.

“No, I don’t want your Lucky Charms.” Chris laughed. “You eat cereal every day. They have pancakes today, you know.”

“Suit yourself. Cereal is fast and easy. Besides, I prefer waffles.”        

“Waffles?” Chris looked back at the line for pancakes. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.”

Not sure where he thought I was going, but I waited for his return. It didn’t take him long before waddled back to the table. I was dying of anticipation as to what he had to show me. He sat a leaning tower of waffles in front of me. I was stunned, to say the least.

“Happy birthday. Enjoy!” Chris said.

“Thanks, buddy.” I said. 

I didn’t know what to say.

“What are we doing tonight for your birthday? It’s Friday after all.” stated Chris.      

This Friday concluded our second year at Bosley Mountain College. I planned to take Fridays off from classes so Chris and I could travel home early and celebrate.

“If we leave by noon, we could arrive by three or four?” I said. 

We sat at the table for another hour chatting before I cleaned up my mess. Chris followed my lead and cleaned up as well. We continued to discuss our plans as we walked back to the dorm. I helped Chris pack his things, and he helped me. We somehow fit all our luggage we needed for a summer break into my truck. 

It’s not a big truck mind you, it had two doors and one bench seat. A long bed to hold our luggage is all we need. I made sure everything was secured while Chris handled the tunes with his portable music player. I did a pre-trip of the truck. Checked the oil, the brakes, and made sure everything was in working order. 

After three hours of driving, we finally arrived at my home. Of course, my parents were already outside waiting for us.

I don’t bring it up, but my parents are rich. They started their own business with the inheritance they received from their respective sides of the family. After gaining profit, they merged with Chris’s parents. The Cole and Benjamin Company.

My father, Andrew Cole, walked up to the driver’s side window as I rolled it down.

“Nice drive?” he asked.

My father was a tall, handsome man with slicked back black hair. He always wore a suit even when he wasn’t working, though it made him look fancy.  

My mom, Alyssa, is short compared to my father. Some would say she had a radiant type of beauty with her long, layered blonde hair. 

Back in 2000, my mother had a photo shoot taken for the cover of People’s Choice when the family business had taken off. She even appeared on a few late night television shows such as Opera.

“Yeah. Ran into some traffic but, nice drive.” I replied.

Chris fell out of the passenger side and rolled onto the grass.

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“LAND!” Chris cried out. 

Chris had a fear of riding in a car, understandable after what happened. After the terrible death of his parents by a drunk driver, he swore off vehicles. I thought we had gotten past his fear. I helped him to muster up the courage to ride in a car.

“I thought we were past this?” I asked, knowing full well he wasn’t.       

“Are you kidding me?! Did you not see the size of that rock?” Chris dramatically cried out. 

“What happened?” my parents simultaneously asked.

“Oh, it was nothing. Just a little road hazard.” I said.

It wasn’t a big deal. Just a truck kicking a small rock into Chris’s side of the vehicle. Spooked him a bit, but I calmed him down, eventually.         

After unloading and visiting with my parents, I made my way upstairs to my room. Something caught my eye and was drawn to my dresser. My graduation cap, sitting alone collecting dust. As I picked it up, all the memories of high school flooded into my mind. Vibrant memories of all the girls I fooled around with, but none of them made me truly happy. I always felt like something was missing. The jumping from one girl to the next was a defense mechanism. 

I tossed my belongings down on the bed, then laid down next to it. Memories floated to the surface of my thoughts, especially ones from my childhood, and I pondered them for a while. I stared at the stubborn glow in the dark stars that still clung to the ceiling.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Chris asked.

Chris leaned against the open door. The man had impeccable timing. 

“Remember that time I broke up with the football player and cheerleader because you weren’t invited to that party?.” I asked.  

Chris blushed, knowing that I was speaking of the first time he had gotten together with his girlfriend 

“Y-y-yes.”

There it was, my shy best friend. He was too shy to admit what he had done.       

“The night you sealed the deal?”      

“We should probably get ready. It’s almost six.”

So close.   

“You’re right.” I said.

I changed into a more appropriate attire. A suit I ordered a month ago. Nothing fancy, a classic James Bond look. Chris took another shower and dressed as close to me as he could. He could never pull off the amount of clout I had. 

I headed downstairs with Chris around six thirty. My father paid me one hundred dollars while patting my back.       

“Have fun, and a word of advice… don’t wake up next to a dead hooker.” he told me with a straight face.     

“Thank… you.” I replied. I was very confused.    

It didn’t take me long to drive to the restaurant. I’m going to save you the details. I could see my friends gathering at the front, waiting for us to arrive. That’s when the troubles began. Two of my exes were also attending. Jessica Cruz and Paris Hamada.   

Jessica was about five feet nine inches. She was one of the tallest white girls I had ever dated. She weighed roughly hundred and twenty pounds. Long blonde hair that fell to her shoulders, and she was wearing a tan tank top with a plaid skirt. Her eyes, a hazelnut green with thin drawn eyebrows. 

Jessica nonchalantly walked up to me and kissed me right on the mouth. The moment seemed to last much longer than it actually did, and I felt old emotions stirring for her. I couldn’t help but wonder what was going through her mind. We did not break up mutually.    

Back in freshman year, we dated for about a month before I left her for another girl. Unfortunately, that girl was here tonight as well. Jessica’s ex-best friend. 

Paris Hamada was stunning, as always. Her long black hair swept past her shoulders. Teal blue eyes that darted from person to person. Her outfit left nothing to the imagination. She definitely did that on purpose… well played.

I led my group of friends into the fancy restaurant and was met with an edge of scrutiny. I could feel the host’s gaze, judging us, a group of children that walked into his establishment.   

“Can I… help you?” The host asked.

I can’t lie. I was vaguely creeped out by this man. 

“Cole, party of 7.”

The receptionist looked down the list to check the reservations. Once he found them, he whistled over one hostess and asked her to seat them.

“You seem busy tonight.” I said.

I was unnerved by the receptionist. He got under my skin and into my head. 

“You have no idea. It’s been nonstop customers all day.” groaned the waitress, stopping at their table.

The waitress was quick to take our order. I ordered two pitchers of beer for the table to start our night off. Everyone knew what they wanted, and the food came out quicker than I expected. After a few glasses, Chris stood up and prepared for a toast.

“To my good friend, my brother, Nick Cole… May the night be filled with adventure and girls. You deserve the best in life. Happy birthday.”

My friends cheered and grabbed another glass of beer. Two hours passed filled with fun; fun I will always cherish. 

Paris and Jessica put their differences aside and carried me out of the restaurant. I may have had too many drinks that night. It’s hard to remember exactly what happened after. What I’m about to tell you was the start of it all.

I mumbled some incoherent nonsense to Paris, which made her smile. The girls began arguing over which one of them was going to take me home. They were interrupted by a man running down the sidewalk.

I caught a glimpse of the person. He looked like he was running away from someone or something. The stranger looked genuinely scared. The stranger ran to me and held my hand.

“They found me. I don’t know how. My position is compromised. Nick… I’m sorry.” 

The man slipped a ring into my hand as he backed away. He bolted down the ally way and disappeared into the shadows. 

“Did you know that man?” Jessica asked.

“No.” I said with certainty.

At this point, I was beginning to sober up. After a long, ironic argument with Jessica, we decided it was best that Paris took me and Chris home.

Paris helped me get into the passenger side while Jessica helped Chris get into the back seat. Chris was pretty hammered and fell asleep as soon as he got into the truck, which turned out to be a good thing. 

Paris drove my truck back to my place. By the time we got home, I felt sober enough to have a decent conversation without slurring words. I helped Paris drag Chris into his bedroom, which proved to be a draining task in itself.      

“So do we undress him or just leave him like this?” Paris asked, catching her breath.     

“I’m sure he can survive one night sleeping in his clothes.” 

Paris tried to keep her laugh in order to be quiet but ended up snickering. I missed her laugh. I could always make her laugh, even when I wasn’t trying to be funny. 

Once we got my friend situated in his bed, I chauffeured Paris to the guest room downstairs. It was late, and I didn’t feel comfortable letting her walk home. Besides, I had a feeling she wanted to tell me something.

“Wait here for a sec.” I said.

I traversed the dark hallway to find some blankets and pillows in the forgotten closet. When I returned, I saw Paris looking at a photo of us when we went to the beach house two summers ago.   

“I remember this picture,” she said wistfully. “It was probably the most fun I had that year.”        

Paris gently placed the frame back down on the nightstand and turned back to me. She caught me off guard, even when I was preparing for it. I couldn’t do it anymore. The truth had to be said.    

“I’m sorry I had to break your heart that year. The truth is, I got nervous. I actually may have fallen in love with you… and I…”

What I didn’t see coming was the slap. It stung, but all I could think about was that I deserved it.     

“Then why even go out with me if you were just going to break up with me, anyway?” She asked.

I saw the hate, the pain. She wanted answers. Answers I could give, but was I ready? 

“I thought the point of dating was finding a person you like and having a happy relationship with them! I loved you, and you just got up and left me for another girl… just like you did to Jessica.” 

I deserve every bit of this. I had not been a good person. I jumped from one girl to the next without ever thinking of their feelings. Why would I? I didn’t have to be friends with them after.

“That hurt me deeply. You know how long I cried for? Do you even know what you almost made me do? Do you?”

I couldn’t bring myself to look at her. I knew that if I caught a glimpse of her, she would be crying. I couldn’t bear to see her cry.       

“LOOK AT ME GOD DAMN IT!” Paris yelled.  

My stomach turned. I froze, not knowing what to do. If I turned to see her, I would break down too. I had never felt like this before. This feeling of rock bottom. I didn’t want to be this person anymore, and it scared me that it took this argument to realize this. 

Nick turned and faced her. He watched her mascara as it ran further down her cheeks. It was obvious that she was really upset. The sight alone made Nick start tearing up.   

“I’m sorry. I regret that decision every day of my life. I still love you. If I could heal your heart, I would, I would take the pain and throw it...” I blurted.   

Another slap across my face. I looked straight into Paris’ eyes and saw that I made things worse.  

“Then why the fuck did you leave me? Why didn’t you stay with me?” she asked.  

“Love was something I didn’t know how to process. The feeling scared me and I did what I knew how to do.” I adverted my eyes. “I ran.” 

I walked out and headed to my room, leaving Pairs with more questions than answers. I sat down on my bed and reflected on what I said. I told the truth. I still loved her, even after all the girls that I went out with.

In the end, I always thought of Paris and that always drove me to the point of breaking up with whatever girl I was with that week. 

A slow knock came from my door’s direction. I snapped my head over and saw Paris in her Pajamas.   

“What do you want?” I asked, bowing my head in shame.     

Paris shook her head and sat down next to me. She reached forward to cup my cheeks, gently tilting my head towards her. She gingerly touched her lips on mine. 

I didn’t resist. This felt right. I reached behind Paris’ back and curled my fingers at the hem of her shirt. Paris pulled my shirt over my head before unzipping my pants and sliding them off. 

I stopped her. “What are we doing?”

“What we should have done a long time ago.” She said as she continued.

I kissed her chest patiently as I unhooked her bra and let the straps slip down her shoulders. Paris slipped off her bottoms. I flipped her onto her back, taking off the last bits of clothing, adding to the overgrowing pile on the floor. We embraced each other for the first time, sealing the deal that we were back together. 

This was right. She was the missing piece.