Between Us Three

—COCO’S POV— I thought I had forgotten this place. Apparently, I was wrong. I stared out the car window as we turned onto the familiar road, watching the houses pass by one after another. Everything looked smaller than I remembered. The trees. The road. Even the house at the end of the street. My heart suddenly felt heavier. “Coco?” I looked at my mom. “Hmm?” “You've been quiet since we got here.” I forced a smile. “I'm fine.” She gave me the look mothers give when they know you're lying but decide not to argue. “You'll only be staying here for a few months,” she said. “I'll come back as soon as I finish my work.” I nodded. A few months. I could handle that. At least, that's what I told myself. The car stopped in front of the house. I looked up. Nothing had changed. The white walls. The wide balcony. The little garden beside the entrance. It was the same house I'd spent so much of my childhood in. The same house I'd left years ago. And the same house where I used to spend almost every day with one particular boy. Ehud. I hadn't seen him in years. I wondered if he'd even remember me. My mom got out of the car, and I followed. Before we reached the door, it opened. A woman stepped outside with a huge smile. “Chanelle!” I smiled immediately. “Aunty!” She hugged me tightly. “Look at you! You've grown so much!” I laughed. “It's been a long time.” “It really has.” She pulled away and looked at me again. “You probably don't even remember this house.” I looked past her into the hallway. “I remember.” More than I wanted to admit. Then I heard footsteps coming from upstairs. Slow. Unhurried. I turned toward the staircase. Someone appeared at the top. Ehud. He had grown so much since I last saw him. He was tall, with dark skin and thick, curly hair that fell naturally across his forehead. But his eyes were what caught me off guard. They were green. Not the kind of green you saw every day. They were bright, almost impossible to ignore, especially against his dark skin. His face had changed too. He had grown into sharp features, broad shoulders, and a smile that made him look completely different from the little boy I remembered. I stared at him for a second too long. Okay. Maybe coming back here wasn’t such a bad idea after all For a second, I didn't recognize him. Then his eyes met mine. And everything stopped. His face had changed. His voice had changed. He wasn't the little boy I remembered running around the garden with. But those eyes... I knew those eyes. “Ehud?” His expression changed slightly. Like he'd just seen a ghost. “Coco?” My heart skipped. He remembered me. Of course he did. He walked down the stairs, stopping a few steps away from me. Neither of us said anything. Then he smiled. A small, familiar smile. “You came back.” I swallowed. “Yeah.” He looked at me for a moment longer. “You look different.” I laughed nervously. “So do you.” “I know.” There was something strange about the way he said it. Something I couldn't explain. My mom interrupted us before the silence became awkward. “Okay, you two can catch up later. Coco, let's get your bags upstairs.” I nodded and turned away. But as I walked past Ehud, I caught him watching me. And for some reason, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I had come back to this house expecting everything to feel familiar. I hadn't expected him to feel like a stranger. And I definitely hadn't expected my childhood to come back looking like this. I didn't really know what to say to Ehud after that. So I didn't. I just smiled politely and followed my mom and Aunty upstairs to put my things away. My room looked almost exactly how I remembered it. The pale curtains were still hanging by the window, and the small bookshelf in the corner still had a few of the books I'd left behind years ago. There was even a little scratch on the wall beside my bed. I smiled when I saw it. I remembered making that scratch. I had been playing with Ehud in the room when we were little, and we'd somehow ended up knocking over a chair. I shook my head. "You're finally back," my mom said from behind me. I turned around. She was standing by the doorway, watching me. "Yeah," I said quietly. She smiled, but I could tell she was tired. She had been trying to act normal all day, but I knew she was stressed about leaving the country for work. "Mom?" "Hmm?" "Are you sure you have to go?" Her smile faded slightly. "I've told you, Coco. It's only for a few months." "I know, but..." I looked down. I didn't want to sound like a little kid complaining about her mother leaving, but I couldn't help it. "I just don't like the idea of you being so far away." She walked over and sat beside me. "I know." She took my hand. "But this job is important, baby. And I promise I'll call you every day." "Every day?" "Every day." I smiled a little. "You better." She laughed softly. "I will." I leaned against her shoulder. For a few minutes, neither of us said anything. I just stayed there. I wanted to memorize the feeling of having her beside me because I knew that once she left, everything would feel different. Eventually, Aunty called us downstairs for dinner. "Coco! Come and eat before the food gets cold!" My mom stood up. "Come on." We went downstairs together. Dinner was surprisingly normal. Aunty kept asking me questions about school, my friends, what I'd been doing since I left, and whether I'd changed my mind about coming back. I answered most of them with a smile. Ehud sat across from me. He wasn't saying much. Every now and then, I'd catch him looking at me, but I didn't pay much attention. My mind was somewhere else. I kept thinking about my mom. About her leaving. About waking up one morning and realizing she was already on a plane. About how quiet the house would feel without her. I barely noticed when everyone finished eating. "Coco?" I looked up. Aunty was looking at me. "Hmm?" "You've been staring at your food for five minutes." I laughed awkwardly. "Sorry." "Go outside and get some fresh air. You look like you have a lot on your mind." I nodded. "Okay." I went outside and sat on the small wooden bench near the garden. The night air was cool against my skin. I looked up at the sky. I wondered if my mom was worried too. Maybe she was thinking about me. Maybe she was wondering if I'd be okay without her. I sighed. I knew she wasn't leaving forever. I knew it was only for a few months. But knowing something and feeling okay about it were two completely different things. I hugged my knees and rested my chin on them. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't hear anyone approach. Until a voice broke the silence. "You always do that." I looked up. Ehud stood a few feet away from me. "Do what?" "Disappear into your own head." I stared at him. Then I laughed softly. "I don't do that." He raised an eyebrow. "You literally haven't noticed me standing here for the last thirty seconds." I looked away. "Maybe I was thinking." "About your mom?" My smile disappeared. "Yeah." He nodded and sat down beside me. For a moment, neither of us spoke. And for the first time since I'd arrived, I wondered what Ehud had been thinking this whole time. ### Ehud’s POV I had recognized her the second she walked through the door. Even before she said my name. It was strange. Years had passed. She had changed. I had changed. But somehow, I still knew her. I remembered the little girl who used to run around this house without a care in the world. The girl who would drag me outside whenever she got bored. The girl who used to get angry whenever I beat her at anything. The girl who left without really understanding how much I hated watching her go. And now she was sitting beside me again. Except she wasn't that little girl anymore. She was Coco. The girl I'd spent years trying not to think about. And somehow, the moment she came back, all those memories came rushing back. I looked at her. She was staring up at the sky, completely unaware that I was watching her. She looked sad. Not because of me. Because of her mom. And for some reason, I wanted to make it better. I didn't know why. Maybe because some things hadn't changed after all. Maybe I still cared about her more than I should.