I stand up and nearly fall over. “What are you—You know what, it doesn’t matter!” I throw my arms around him and breathe him in. He wraps his arms around me in a way that’s gentle but firm. I bury my face in his jacket, not wanting anybody to see the tears that are starting to spill. Baxter is jumping on us and yapping happily.

Marian, Neil, and Baxter. Three huge pieces of myself have returned to me, and I don’t want to let any of them go.

Marian turns her face up into the sun. “I have to admit, this is nice. But in a nice-place-to-visit-in-the-winter-and-during-spring-break way,” she clarifies as she unfolds her legs out from under her to get some sun. “Not where-my-best-friend-should-live-permanently nice.”

We’re in the backyard watching Baxter run around sniffing every inch of the grass. He keeps coming back to me every few seconds to make sure I’m still here. He rests his head on my lap for a moment before a squirrel distracts him.

The sun is beginning to set. We’ve spent the past three hours talking a mile a minute as if we hadn’t been speaking or texting every day.

“Okay, besides Disney World and the beach, we want to see your high school while we’re here,” Neil states. “You know, the Death Star.”

“It’s too big to be a school,” I say with a laugh.

“I have a very bad feeling about this,” Neil says, completing our new adapted Star Wars quote for the monstrosity known as my school building.

I still can’t believe that he’s here and that Paula and Craig kept it a secret because Marian wanted it to be a surprise. (Apparently Sarah wasn’t informed, because they thought she’d spill.) Finally, a nice surprise.

“I also want us to take Sarah somewhere, just the four of us,” I state.

“Cool,” Marian says. “She seems really sweet.”

“She is. We’re growing on each other.”

Neil leans into me, and goose bumps run up my body. “That’s good.”

“Oh, and I figure that I can let you two have some alone time,” Marian says with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

Neil’s face lights up. “That’s really, really good.”

Yes, it is.

Who knew being a tourist could be so exhausting?

Yesterday was spent at Disney World. Neil, Marian, and I ran around like little kids having a competition of who would get the most selfies with the costumed characters (Marian won since she spied both Minnie Mouse and Goofy when she went to the restroom). We ate cotton candy until our hands were sticky and rode rides until we felt sick. Neil got sunburn on his ears and neck because he forgot to slather them with sunscreen.