when we were young [c]

He was at the beach with his butler, the man who always kept an eye on him when his parents were too busy for him. Miles had grown used to the man's face and his parents seemed like strangers, even at 9 years old.

The butler thought it sad, but he worked hard to keep the boy safe and teach him the ways of life, even if it did take more effort than one would need. Miles was a bit different and the man knew that.

They had taken a trip to the beach to get away from the mansion and the maids. The man thought it healthy for Miles to get out from behind the iron gates of the property. The sun was warm and the sand was hot, but Miles was really enjoying himself.

His attention was pulled away though when he heard a lot of commotion nearby. There were little beach houses along the shore and Miles wandered near one when the sounds got louder. A girl's voice is what really piqued his curiosity, especially when he realized how familiar it sounded. Miles never forgot a face, or a voice.

He ran around the bend and saw a young girl, around his age, and his face lit up like Christmas when he saw who it was. It was--

"Drew!!" Miles shouted and waved frantically to the girl. I had been three years since he'd seen her and he was overjoyed with meeting up again.

@drew

Miles grinned when his friend spotted him and they ran off to a different part of the beach, promising her that he wouldn't tell anyone that she stomped her ribbon into the sand and don't worry, his butler wouldn't tell anybody either. He's a good guy and keeps all kinds of secrets. That's one reason why Miles loves him so much, minus the fact that he'd hardly even seen his parents so of course the boy would regard the man as a father-figure over his own father.

He flashed his guardian a thumbs up, then followed after Drew as she pulled him off and away from the beach house to a more secluded area, smiling happily and glad that he had his friend back for another summer. "Where've you been? You were gone so long this time, Drew... You told me you'd be back the next year and before I knew it, it was three years!" Miles exclaimed, though tried to keep his voice down so that no adults could hear them. "I really missed you, Drew."

Miles didn't mention it, but he'd been counting down the days. He might have only been a young child, but he knew when he missed someone. He'd felt that feeling plenty of times before, that feeling of wanting someone you held dear close to you and not far away. He'd really missed his friend.

"You're not going to go away again, are you?" He asked, sounding scared for his friend leaving again, though she'd just gotten there. Miles should've been focusing on her being there, not worrying about her leaving already.

@drew