Reunited | Spherical & Sunshine

[Sunshine and Whiskey]

The drive seemed to get longer and longer every single time she drove to her family’s beach house. It was literally the longest she’d ever drive if she just ever wanted to get away from everything for a while, which is why she was taking this drive today. Savanna had recently gotten a divorce from her husband, who she married at a very young age. She was in love but wasn’t ready for such a big, heavy commitment. Savanna wondered why but something brought her back to thinking about her childhood friend. She loved him dearly but never got the chance to tell him how she really felt.

The thought went to the back of her mind for the moment because she was really close to the beach house. She stopped at a store nearby first to pick up some snacks and a few essential items. Many people actually remembered who she was but how could they not. She’s the Heiress to Prittchet Pretzels and that’s what they sold in the store she stopped at and of course, she just had to have a big bag of them.

It made her feel close to home with the bag pretzels.

After she was rung up, she thanked the cashier then scurried out of the store to get back inside of her vehicle. She started up the engine then proceeded onward toward her destination, which she wasn’t really far from. Savanna could see the beach house in the distance and that brought a very wide smile to spread between her lips. She hasn't been here in literally years, so she was definitely going to make the best of it as long as she is here.

Once she placed her vehicle in the driveway beside the beach house, her eyes wandered to the building as she wondered how long it has been since her family visited the residence. The thought was placed into the back of her mind as she got out of her vehicle with a squeal of delight as she removed the sunglasses that were covering her eyes. Her sunglasses rested on the top of her head as she walked up the stairs along the side of the beach house then finally landed both of her feet on the porch.

Everything on the outside still looked exactly the same. Her mouth parted open as a soft sigh escaped from her. She walked closer to the welcome mat then squatted down to feel underneath it, retrieving a key that was obviously to the house that she was to dwell inside of as long as she wanted. When she turned the key and the lock clicked, it was a pleasurable sound to her ears. With a hand, she pushed the door forward and proceeded to walk inside and her eyes went from side to side, top to bottom. Savanna remembered where every single little detail was as he continued her walk throughout the beach house.

Being back inside brought back many, many memories. Ones that she’ll hold onto forever. She continued her walk then came across the stairs, which led to the four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Her hand scaled the wall beside the stairs, where her height along with her friend’s height was recorded. Another soft smile formed between her lips before her eyes looked to the top of the stairs now and she walked up to them. At the top, she looked left and right then went directly inside of the bedroom that was hers and hers alone. Savanna looked at the pictures on the nightstand then eyed the stripped bed beside her. Luckily, she brought her own covering for the bed.

Savanna left that room then continued her tour room from room, even visited the bathrooms, which needed a little touch-up. She had wandered back down the stairs then outside, where she started to unpack her vehicle. Once that was done outside, she had sighed and looked around to see where she could start while her hands were placed upon her hips. She just started in the desired room she had chosen for herself and had already made decoration preparations inside of her mind. Of course, she would’ve had to go shopping but it was totally going to be worth it whenever she was done.

Whenever she was close to being done, her ears twitched as she heard a noise from the outside. She had really hoped that her family wasn’t going to be here, not right now because she didn’t have time to tell them all about her marriage and how it fell apart before it even started. Savanna dropped her stuff then walked down the stairs before she proceeded outside to see a familiar figure right there in the driveway.

❝Adrian?❞ She questioned his name because it couldn’t be true. How was it possible for them to be here at the exact same time. It was fate. It had to be but she was going to get to the bottom of it eventually. Savanna walked down the stairs but stopped in the middle then leaned her side against the banister with a raised brow.

❝What are you doing here, Adrian? Why are you here?❞ It was rather typical of her to throw questions once she felt the need to or whenever someone was disturbing her peace. Although, she couldn’t lie to herself and say that she wasn’t ecstatic to see him right here before her. She wouldn’t admit that to him either. Not right now anyway.

Savanna walked down the stairs a little bit more but stopped at the sixth step so she could get a closer look at him. ❝Well?❞ She questioned him with her hands placed on her hips and her weight propped against the banister along with her natural curiosity face being shown for Adrian. She just couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say, honestly. She had hoped to herself that he wouldn’t turn the round of questions around on her because it’d be really hard to explain herself to him and of course, she knew it.​

 

[sphericalz]

The trip down to Miami had been a pleasant one. Kind of. Adrian hadn't driven so far in a while - it'd been a shock to his eyes, at least, for having to spend so long looking at the road ahead of him, but it was nothing a cup of coffee and a quick nap couldn't solve. There'd been a few of those, and it hadn't come that cheap. Some of those gas stations were pretty expensive. He'd taken his time anyway. It was pleasant to feel the wind and listen to the radio without checking his phone for once. He'd spent way too long looking at screens over the last couple months, and wanted nothing more than to get away. That was the whole point of this break, after all. To get away from his workload and the sometimes irritating questions of his classmates.

He was bound to graduate from law school this semester, thank God. It was about time. He'd rushed right into law school without giving himself a break between his undergrad degree. The last couple years had been interesting, for sure, but he was ready for a break. Hell, if he enjoyed his time here, he might just come back when he graduated for good. It'd be nice to have a few months to relax before selling his life to a firm.

Adrian turned up the A/C in his car as he navigated the streets, frowning as the GPS continued to recalculate. It was a mess to get through the traffic around here. Did any of these people know how to drive? He gripped the wheel with a grimace and waited for the cars in front of him to start moving again. Luckily enough, the beach house came into view soon after he turned the corner. There was already a car there. Strange. He thought he'd be the only one living there.

He parked his car on the curb in case there was any dispute to figure out and turned off the engine of his car, feeling wistful as the cool air from the A/C died out and was replaced by the Floridian humidity. With a sigh, Adrian opened the car door and stepped out, leaving his luggage in the backseat and the trunk. It was probably best to see who else was there before settling down. He'd already paid for the house, though, that might be an issue. Beachfront property was no joke.

He'd made it up into the driveway before a voice called out to him. He glanced up and frowned, not expecting to be confronted so quickly. The barrage of questions took a minute to translate in his mind, and his eyes widened, eyebrows raising, as he took in the woman at the banister. She looked almost familiar, like a grown up version of - wait. Was it really her? His face broke out into a grin and he put his hands on his head out of disbelief.

"Savanna?" He asked, eyeing her curiously. "Is that actually you?" Who else would've known who he was right off the bat? He almost didn't recognize her, it'd been so long since he had seen her. "I'm ... here to go to the beach, I guess. I'm taking a short break from school. I'm gradating soon, you know, and I felt like I needed a little reward. Miami seemed like as a good a place as any." Adrian chuckled to himself for a moment before continuing on. "What are you doing here? I thought I was the only one that rented this place out." He was glad to see her, but it was certainly a surprise. Hopefully a welcome one. They would need to catch up for sure.

 

[Sunshine and Whiskey]

❝Yes, it's me. The one and only.❞ She muttered with a little chuckle to follow those words.

That voice was still the same. Everything about him was still the same, especially those glasses that adorned his facial features. She had thought that he'd be wearing contacts by now but she liked the glasses better. Another thing that she wouldn't admit out loud to him. Her eyes continued to inspect him until he asked her what she was doing here at the beach house. Her top teeth met with her bottom lip as she nodded her head to herself before she walked further down the stairs to the final step then rested her hands against her hips again.

❝I thought that I was the only one, as well.❞ She spoke softly since she was now close enough to him that he could hear her. ❝I wish that they would say something whenever two people rent out the same beach house. Guess I'll have Miranda fired.❞ A thought that he placed in the back of her mind to rehash it later. She danced around not answering his question about her staying there because Savanna didn't want Adrian to see her as a different person than he remembered. She was indeed a different person but in a certain way entirely. She held onto the banister then rocked on the balls of her feet before she smacked her lips together then eyed him.

❝So, should I be calling you DA Adrian or anything like that?❞ Savanna asked with a chuckle to end that question then suddenly she was mere inches from him. He even smelled the same, which wasn't a bad thing either. ❝Do you need help with your bags?❞ She inquired although, he should've known that she'd never, ever help him with the heavy lifting. She giggled a little then skipped her way to the bottom step then turned to face Adrian once more. ❝Everything is still the same, Adrian. Come on and I'll show you.❞

With the wave of her hand, which signaled for him to follow her, she opened the door then waited for him to enter. Savanna closed the door the started to give Adrian the grand tour of the beach house again but just to show him certain things. Her eyes would glance over to him from time to time to gauge his reaction to some of the things that she was saying and if it triggered good or bad memories for him. Savanna pointed her delicate index finger at certain things then started to go upstairs to show him those areas, as well. ❝I got my old bedroom, of course, and since we're older, no sleeping in my bed.❞ She joked as she then walked back down the stairs, with her turning back behind her to see if he was following.

❝Still the same, right?❞ Savanna questioned him as she waited at the bottom of the stairs for him, her eyes were still engaged onto him, as well. Her hands then clapped together as she raised a brow toward him. ❝What do you want to do first? Beach then eat or Eat then beach or we can do both at the same time.❞ She honestly didn't have any plans or care what they did first but admittedly, she was indeed hungry and her insides were ripping each other to shreds at this point.​

 

[sphericalz]

Adrian shrugged as Savanna mentioned she thought she'd be the only one, though his eyes narrowed a little in confusion as she mentioned having someone fired. Did Savanna own this place? Or was she talking about some kind of rental agent? Maybe it'd totally slipped his mind. I mean, he hadn't been back here for ages. Had he really forgotten where he used to spend some of his time? It looked more familiar by the second. Still, he couldn't help but notice she avoided his question. He didn't really mind, it was her business, but he stored that away just in case. It was an old habit made purely out of necessity for mock trials in his law classes. It peaked his interest nonetheless.

The smacking sound of her lips brought his mind back to the presence, and he kept a grin on his face. Savanna was just like how he'd remembered her. "No need to call me DA Adrian, not yet at least." He chuckled with her as she stepped closer to him - and he tried to keep his eyes focused on hers. "No help needed, and I'm happy to follow along! I'll come back out to grab my bags a little bit later," he said as he followed her steps.

Savanna closed the door behind him and Adrian took a moment to look around, before following her through the rest of the house. It'd been a long time since he had visited this house. God, it almost seemed like pure luck he'd picked this again. No wonder, he knew there was something about this place that he liked. Doubly so, now. Adrian hadn't seen Savanna in a long time. He was looking forward to talking with her again, and he made sure to keep glancing over at her as she spoke. He grinned as she cracked a joke about her bedroom. "No need to worry about that, Savanna. I'm sure I can manage without it," he said as he followed her back down.

"Yeah, it still looks the same." That was the truth. All of his memories were flooding back now - memories from before they parted ways. Maybe he'd repressed them because he didn't want to think about how much pain it caused him to leave in the first place. He'd changed some, Savanna probably had as well. But how much? He was cautiously optimistic about finding out. "Why don't we do both? That'd be a nice mix. Do we need to make lunch, or did you have something prepared already?" He cocked his head to the side as he spoke. His luggage was still sitting in his car, but he wasn't really in a rush to put it away. This was far more important. He was supposed to be taking a break, right?

 

[Sunshine and Whiskey]

Savanna couldn't keep her eyes off of Adrian during this point in time because she can't believe how he still looked the same. Exactly the same. She had those memories resurfaced in her that were quickly placed in the back of her head. She didn't want to really think about those special memories that they once shared with one another. It was a reason for that. Her mind came back to reality whenever he responded to her about doing both. She squealed then clapped her hands together, which was a normal gesture from her and one Adrian would recognize.

❝I shall go and make something.❞ Savanna turned heel to walk back towards the beach house, where she entered then went upstairs. She was going to change into a two-piece bikini, which was black and blue, with a white overshirt to cover up the bikini underneath that adorned her body first then make some snacks for them to nibble on while at the beach. It didn't take her long but had hoped that Adrian already changed in proper attire because she did not like to be kept waiting for long. A trait that has always been instilled inside of her for as long as she could remember.

She made some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, grabbed her big bag of pretzels, and some fruit cups. All of those items she placed inside of a basket before Savanna grabbed it along with a beach towel then called out to Adrian. ❝Adrian! Are you ready yet?❞ She sighed heavily to herself, thinking that he probably wasn't ready. She became very, very impatient over the years and knew that sooner or later, it was going to become quite noticeable.

Whenever Adrian was right beside her, she threw her hands up then huff. ❝Finally.❞ Savanna muttered the word sternly as she cocked her head to the side then began to lead the way to the beach. Luckily, it was nearby so, they didn't need to drive or anything. Just walk a few distances and they were there. The beach wasn't too crowded today so a spot was easy to pick out. Savanna picked out her favorite spot as a child then laid her towel out and sat the basket down. Her eyes looked over towards Adrian with a small smile that began to spread between her lips.

❝So, how have you been exactly?❞ She questioned as it felt about that time to get serious with one another.

Savanna always was the one to ask the hard-hitting questions and it felt like she should've been a lawyer, as well. It was a dream of hers but it also wasn't meant to be. That was something that she kept secretly to herself. ❝I can tell that something's different about you so, start talking.❞ She'd state while giving him a little nudge with her elbow. A soft breeze blew through her as her blonde locks of hair blew along with the wind. Her eyes fluttered over to focus on Adrian, waiting to see how he was going to respond to her. Hopefully, he doesn't ask her what she's been up to or suddenly remembers that she didn't respond to his question earlier.​

 

[sphericalz]

Adrian stepped into a guest bathroom - one he remembered from all those years ago - and changed quickly into his bathing suit. It was nothing special, just lined with blue and white stripes and even some lobsters placed here and there. He'd picked it up on a discount sale earlier in the year, and kept it close by on the trip down. He'd expected to go to the beach pretty soon after arriving and didn't keep it with his regular luggage for that purpose. He wanted to be able to put it on without having to dig through a few bags and making a mess out of whichever room he stayed in.

He stepped out of the bathroom as Savanna's question echoed throughout the hallway. "Yeah, I'm ready!" He called out to her, making an effort to get by her side again. He knew she was a little antsy when it came to waiting. He could remember all the times she'd get annoyed when they were younger. The last thing Adrian wanted to do was keep her waiting, and he caught up to her quickly. He followed her out of the house and onto the beach, laying down a towel next to her spot and taking a seat on it. A smile also broke out on his face with Savanna's.

"I've been good, actually. After I moved, you know, it was difficult. But I eventually made some new friends and all of that." Adrian rubbed the back of his neck with a laugh. "I'm in law school now. I can't remember if I mentioned that earlier or not. I'm supposed to graduate soon so I came down here to relax beforehand. It's been pretty difficult but I'm glad I put in the work, you know?" He leaned back on the towel and sighed, then looked at Savanna with an inquisitive expression on his face.

"How have you been? What are you up to lately? We haven't caught up with each other in a long time." His gaze was momentarily distracted by the fluttering of her blonde hair in the wind. "I think that's my fault, for not keeping in touch. I'm sorry about that. But I'd really like to hear what's been going on in your life recently. What brought you back to this house at all?" The smile on his face was soft and his tone tentative. Savanna had avoided his question earlier and he wasn't sure how much to prod. It was almost difficult, given that he'd spent several years learning how to question people.

 

[Sunshine and Whiskey]

She enjoyed the beach and the breeze that went along with it. It was a clear, sunny day and a great day to be out and about, no matter what you were going to do. Savanna had turned herself toward Adrian before he started speaking to her, answering her questions. She disliked the fact that she spewed out a lot at once but honestly, that just showed how interested she was in her friend, or whatever they were after all of these years with little to no communication between each other. Savanna was really busy with certain affairs but a time was going to come where she’d reveal that Adrian.​

The time definitely wasn’t now.​

An exhaled sigh escaped from over her while she continued to listen to him speak about how he has been doing and such. Savanna had tucked a loose blonde strand behind her ear then brought her knees a little bit closer to her. When he had finished speaking and asked her how she had been, her eyes went towards the water with an expressionless face. She didn’t know if she wanted to tell him about her marriage and divorce now or wait until later. Before she even began to talk about herself, she turned to him with a soft smile then reached out to grip her fingers around his arm.​

❝Glad to hear that you’ve been good, Adrian.❞ She commented with her smile increasing a little. ❝Were your new friends better than me?❞ Savanna asked with a giggle to follow then licked her lips before she continued on. ❝I want to be there whenever you graduate, so I can congratulate and celebrate with you.❞ She basically begged as her hand slithered away from his arm then she nodded her head. ❝Put in the work and get the reward.❞​

It was when she was about ready to talk about herself that she grew silent. Her knees met with her chest this time around and her arms wrapped around them. Her head buried onto her knees before she picked it back up then turned her gaze to stare at Adrian, which made her sigh again but not at him, just because she didn’t know what he’d think of her. ❝I’ve been better.❞ Savanna admitted while she stretched her legs back out then leaned back on her elbows. ❝I haven’t been up to anything really but just living life.❞​

Savanna was trying her absolute best to deflect from talking about her divorce and she honestly thought that she was doing a great job at it. ❝It was both of our faults, so no apology necessary.❞ A reassuring smile followed that statement as she then shrugged her shoulders.​

❝I haven’t been here in a long time, Adrian. Just wanted to come and enjoy myself and the beach, of course.❞ She said before she leaned over to rummage through her bag then grabbed some suntan lotion, which she waved the bottle in front of Adrian with a smirk.​

❝Put some on my back?❞ A question that she wondered what he would do. She rarely gave him a choice as she set the bottle down beside him then turned her back towards him. Savanna grabbed some of her blonde locks of hair then threw them over her shoulder before her eyes went towards him but that smirk was still plastered between her lips.​

❝Please?❞ A soft tone came with that words, which usually made guys submit around her and do whatever she asked. It was a test to see if it’d work with Adrian, just in case she needed to do so again.​

 

[sphericalz]

Adrian watched Savanna's body language with a close eye as he spoke, noting a sense of discomfort within her as he asked his follow-up questions. He changed the tack of the conversation, replying to her instead of pushing on his own statements."You know that my new friends couldn't be better than you." Adrian joked with Savanna, eyes focused on her reaction. His arm felt a little colder as she pulled her hand away, the sun not making up for the feeling of skin on skin. "I'd be happy to have you there. I'll let you know the details later, if you don't mind. My school hasn't said much about graduation so far."

The breeze made Adrian's hair flutter as he propped himself up on his hands, fingers curling into the sand under him, and leaned back as Savanna grew silent for a moment, waiting patiently. He'd learned not to push her too far when they were young, and if anything, being a student had made him even more patient than before. "Living life is good." He grinned and lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "Sorry to hear that things have been tough lately, but you know I'll try to help out wherever I can. What else are friends for?" He wasn't quite sure what to make of her response - he could tell there was something deeper, but it didn't feel appropriate to dig for it with her. If Savanna wanted him to know, she would tell him eventually. And it did feel strange interrogating her after they'd only just met after a long time.

Adrian watched Savanna rummage through the bag and grab the lotion, waving it in front of his face. The grin on his face stayed put as he considered the request, eyebrows furrowing in amusement. A few moments passed tenderly as the words formed playfully on his tongue, before Adrian pushed himself back up and grabbed the bottle of sunscreen at his side.

"Fine, but only because you asked nicely." He laughed as he opened up the bottle cap and squeezed some of the sunscreen onto his hands. He moved closer to Savanna's shoulders and gently spread it over them, avoiding the hairs that were still left over the shoulder, and began to rub them in gently. It was almost comical how they'd both shown up at the same beachhouse at the same time, both having been away from each other for years. It was some kind of strange coincidence. Especially since Savanna had said she hadn't come to the beach in a while either.

"How long did you want to stay out on the beach? A few hours? Or just for lunch?" He asked as he massaged the sunscreen into her skin. "I'll need to put some on myself or I'm going to end up looking like a lobster or something. School up north did no favors to my tanning ability at all. I've looked like a ghost for a few years at this point, you know." He said with a smile even though Savanna wasn't facing him. "I've got to go out and unload my luggage from the car at some point also. I don't want to leave it there all day."

 

[Sunshine and Whiskey]

Whenever she felt Adrian’s hands upon her shoulders, a soft groan came over her. Her eyes were closed while her skin basked in the sun that beamed down onto the beach. Savanna heard his question but chose not to respond quickly to it. She didn’t even bother to comment on his statements but rather commented on something that was mentioned earlier by Adrian. ​

❝Either way, I need to be front and center for your graduation.❞ Savanna muttered softly while she rested her chin upon her shoulder and her eyes were focused on him. When she turned back around, a smirk appeared on her lips and a sigh exhaled from her. ❝Life has been tough but you know, I’m tougher and that’s one of the reasons why I am here.❞ She said before her gaze turned back to him with a raised brow.​

Savanna licked her lips before she finally offered him a response to his question. ❝I just wanted to come out here for lunch, honestly.❞ Which made her think as she rummaged through the basket and retrieve the sandwiches she made earlier before handing him one of them to Adrian and she took a small bite from hers. ❝Such a beautiful day out.❞ Savanna commented then turned to face Adrian with a smile. ❝I’ll help you with your luggage and everything whenever we get back to the house.❞​

Her eyes rolled upward for a moment before she continued. ❝Yes, yes. I’ll really help you.❞ A light chuckle came from her after those words then she reached to hand Adrian the tanning lotion. ❝Don’t want you looking a lobster, do we?❞ She asked with a teasing smirk then propped the bottle down beside him while she took another bite from her sandwich.​

She was really enjoying herself here at the beach with Adrian and didn’t really want this moment to end. But alas, all good things must come to an end, sooner or later, and right now, she didn’t mention leaving the beach because she wanted to see if Adrian was ready to go or not.​