Page 40 of If We Meet Again

“It’ll be ready for seven then. Seeyou later.”

***

Megan approached West 35thStreet. She could see Best Bagel & Coffee, their favourite breakfast stop. Standing outside was Sofia, casually leaning against the wall, headphones in, her shoulder-length black hair poker straight.

“Hey, girl.”

“Meg!” Sofia embraced her.

“It’s a nice day, isn’t it? Shall we grab a bagel to go and head for a walk around Central?”

“Sounds perfect.”

They emerged five minutes later with a bagel in one hand and a coffee in the other. Megan’s choice was a bacon and cheese bagel, hardly the breakfast of an athlete, but not everything had to revolve around protein shakes and juice cleanses.

“Have you seriously just got a butter bagel?”

“Yeah?”

“When did you getso boring?”

Sofia grasped her chest, offended. “I’ll have you know my bagel choice does not reflect mylifestyle.”

“Oh really? The Sofia I knew would’ve had a garlic and salt bagel with peanut butter and jalapeño.”

Sofia grimaced at the thought. “That sounds absolutelydisgusting.”

The conversation stalled in between mouthfuls of bagel, but by the time they reached the Strawberry Fields entrance, their bagels and coffee had beendisposed of.

“So, are we going out again this weekend? One last hurrah before you leave me?”

“I fly Saturday afternoon, so we can go out Friday, but it would have tobe low key.”

“Okay, I can speak to the guys, see what they’re doing.” The guys were some old elementary school friends. Sofia still kept in touch with them often, but Megan only predominantly saw and spoke to them when she returned to NYC. All the gossip in between would come from Sofia’s weekly Thursday nightphone calls.

“That would be nice. I don’t know when I’ll be back again, so I’d like to see everyone.”

“I’ll miss you. I thought I’d have you back for longer than a few weeks.” Sofia pouted for dramatic effect.

“I’ll miss you too.” Megan reached out to put her arm around her. The little 5’2” frame of Sofia made her feel like a giant.

“The girl you met last weekend, Ashley, wasn’t it? How’sthat going?”

Megan tucked both her hands into the short black running shorts she sported and shrugged. “Idon’t know.”

“What do you mean youdon’t know?”

“We had an amazing date, but then I told her the other night I was leaving and we agreed to meet up one more time, but she didn’t speak to me all dayyesterday.”

Sofia pulled her by the arm away from the oncoming cyclist, who was speeding through like a maniac. “Cuidado idiota.” She bellowed.

“Why does anything you say in Spanish sound sexy? Even when you’re quite clearly angry?”

Sofia winked. “It’s a sexy language.”

“I need to get myself a Spanish girl.”

“You had one right here and you rejected her,” Sofia teased.