1. Jamie

The apartment I share with my best friend in Durham, North Carolina isn't huge. My parents pay for it and refuse to take Teddy's money for rent, so he refused to let us get a two bedroom. I don't mind, since he is fastidious about keeping the place clean

Teddy is a little neurotic and a lot less adventurous than me, but I think we make a good balance. He makes sure we have unexpired food in the fridge and clean clothes, and I make sure he doesn't spend every waking minute studying.

Law school is no joke. The past two years have been a grind. But I am finally getting us out of town for a break from constitutional law and case studies so we can unwind for a week in the Bahamas.

"Did you pack the sunscreen?"

Did I mention Teddy is a little obsessive?

"Yes, Dad," I tease, walking out to the living room where he has his suitcase out to check his packing list. "And a hat."

"I'm a couple months younger than you," Teddy points out for the thousandth time. He finally looks up at me and does a double take. "What are you wearing?"

Tilting the brown hat over one eye, I smirk to complete the picture, "A fedora."

"Why?"

"Because I think I look handsome in it," I pick up the woven straw hat he has laid out and pop it on his head. "Now we don't look like frat bros on spring break."

"It's June, not Spring," Teddy rolls his eyes and goes back to his list.

"Why do you need a checklist?" I counter.

"So I don't forget anything."

My best friend is tidy and meticulous, and I wouldn't have him any other way, so I just smile. I packed my bag last night, but he has it out to check my contents as well.

"You didn't bring so much when we went to Cancun."

"Those were shorter trips to a town with stores," Teddy checks another thing off his list. "We're going to be on a ship going to remote islands. Who knows what will be available."

"They're regular tourist stops, not Timbuktu."

"Timbuktu is in the middle of Northern Africa, not an island," he tells me as he tried to make a second pair of shoes fit into his carry-on. "I might need to check a suitcase."

"Wear flip-flops, pack sneakers, anything else is unnecessary."

Teddy watches as I toss his dress shoes on the floor along with the sandals and rearrange the sneakers.

"That actually might work."

"Don't sound so surprised, I've traveled a lot."

"Yeah, and I haven't," Teddy bites his lip and I feel like shit for reminding him of our difference in economic status.

Most of the time I don't notice, especially since he wasn't working on campus like he did for undergrad. I have never cared once that I pay for his trips with me, but he does. His only times on a plane have been with me.

"Good thing you're kicking ass in school and are going to make bank as a lawyer," I nudge his shoulder with mine. "Then you can fly me around the world."

"That's the plan."

"Plus, I owe you for all the free tutoring," I throw my arm over his shoulders since I have a few inches on him.

He pushes me away, "You don't owe me anything. You barely even let me buy groceries."

"And you don't let me fail classes," I raise an eyebrow to show I'm not backing down before changing the subject. "Either way, we deserve a vacation."

Teddy can't deny how hard the past two years have been. We thought four years at Duke was hard, but getting a law degree is at least twice as hard. Last summer we'd interned at my father's firm, so we hadn't had a break.

"One more year, and then we pass the bar," I remind him, since he tends to dwell on current stresses. I'm a big picture thinker where he's focused on the details. "We need to celebrate this milestone."

"I'm just glad I talked you into something more low-key this time." Teddy refolds the swim trunks I dislodged while taking out the shoes and tucks them into their designated spot. "But I wish you'd let me help book the cruise."

"Everything is taken care of. All food and drinks are included, and I even planned some onshore excursions at a couple of the stops. You just have to relax and enjoy yourself."

"Still," Teddy moves on to my suitcase to check I packed properly.

A couple pairs of shorts, tops and underwear for each day, and swimming clothes, what more did I need besides my toothbrush? The bathroom in our inner cabin would have shampoo and I know he packs things like sunblock. Though I tan where he burns. I had to chuckle when he held up my skimpy swimsuit.

"Why do your underwear have a drawstring?"

"That's my banana hammock, to reduce tan lines."

Teddy blinks and tucks them away with my briefs, "Right."

No way will my repressed bestie be caught in so little clothing. He used to only dress in the bathroom, but I'd gotten him to relax enough to change in our bedroom. And he doesn't complain about me getting naked in front of him, so there has been progress.

"I packed two pairs if you want to borrow one," I tease, flopping down on our couch to watch him continue the inventory.

"I don't think so," Teddy coughs on a laugh. He's shorter than me, but stockier, and I can just imagine him thinking about how he won't fit in my skimpy suit. "I'll leave the exhibitionism to you."

"I'm telling you, the ladies will be all over me."

Reaching out faster than I expect, Teddy pulls my hat off of my head before I can move, "Not wearing a fedora and a mankini, they won't."

Teddy yelps when I swipe at him, running around the coffee table and out of the room. He tries to hold the hat out of my reach as he rounds the kitchen Island, but I work out as much as he does. Jumping up, I grab the hat and my feet get tangled with his legs, bringing us to the linoleum floor.

"Why do you always forget I'm taller and faster than you?"

"Are not," Teddy squirms underneath me so I stand and offer him my hand. I don't move back so he has to look up at my face.

"What was that?"

"You're not faster."

My lips stretch so wide I can feel it and I'm already backing up, "Race you to the gym."

Our place is on the third floor, and the gym is on the first. We only use the elevator if we're carrying things because it's so slow and out of order half of the time. I usually win the race there, and Teddy wins when we lift weights.

"We're packing," Teddy calls out and I stop at the door. "We don't have time for the gym."

"In twenty-four hours we will be on a boat with multiple buffets and restaurants," I walk back into the room to see Teddy messing with the shoes again. "We won't want to use the gym on board on our vacation."

"You're probably right, we should get a workout in before we go," Teddy stands and looks like he's going to leave his sneakers at the door where we have a row of them. He used to leave his shoes on, inside, but I put a stop to that. "See you there."

Before I can process that he has a pair of socks in one hand and his shoes in the other, Teddy is out the door. I chase after him and hear his laugh echoing up the stairwell.

Yeah, my best friend can be a real hard ass about keeping things in order, but he's also a lot of fun.