Karmen's face lit up the moment he saw him. "Carlos!" he exclaimed warmly as the two men stepped forward and embraced each other.
"Finally, I get to see you again," Karmen said as they pulled apart. "How have you been? And tell me, did you find the answers you were searching for when you left so suddenly?"
Carlos turned his gaze toward the neatly trimmed bushes lining the garden. "Yes," he replied.
Karmen nodded slowly, as if sensing that there was much more behind that simple answer. Then a small smile returned to his face.
"There's something I wanted to tell you as well," he said, shifting slightly to Carlos's left. "I finally asked Aisha out. We're dating now."
Carlos turned his head toward him, the corner of his lips lifting faintly. "So you finally did what you should have done a long time ago."
