"Oh..." I say, my eyes dropping to his mouth for a split second.

"I'm not kissing you until we sit down and talk first." His hand slides up to my nape, and the simple touch is enough to have another flow of memories rushing through my mind.

"We have nothing to talk about." I raise my chin and he lets out a smile that goes straight to my heart.

"Oh, I beg to differ."

"We've already said everything there was to say..." I try to look away, but the way he's holding me close to him makes it hard for me to move.

"Are you happy?" He searches my eyes, and I feel the walls around my heart shaking.

"None of your business," I whisper, my eyes watering at the vulnerability I see in his.

"Do you think I stopped caring about you after everything we lived together?" He caresses my jaw, his eyes flicking to my mouth.

"You didn't care enough." I stare at him, daring him to contradict me.

"You didn't care enough either, Jen." He shakes his head, losing his hold on me.

My body, not able to catch up with my brain, is already craving his touch; already missing the way he makes me feel wanted and desired.

"I wanted you to go with me," I whisper, swallowing the hurt and resentment.

"You lied about not applying to college. We said we'd wait a few more years, save some money before-"

"It wouldn't work." I blink as my eyes well up with tears. "You wanted to get married and soon you'd be demanding babies and stuff... And then what? Huh? We'd still be here, living that same shitty life!" I scoff, my resentment just too much.

"Right!" He lets out a humorless chuckle before turning his back to me and heading to the back of the bar.

My eyes burn with tears as I watch him walk away, and I hate how affected I still feel. I hate how he still makes my heart race, and how my body still reacts to his touch. God, I hate him.

"Hey..." I feel Erin's hand on my shoulder.

"He's such a jerk!" I shake my head.

"Nothing new there." Adam, Erin's husband, laughs, making me turn my attention to him as a reluctant smile forms on my lips.

"Adam," I say, my heart squeezing in my chest.

"Jenny Firecracker Bloom!" He pulls me into a hug, making my mind race with memories again. These people are my best friends. I don't know how I managed to stay away for so long.

"Well, I'll be fucking damned!" Gav, Denise's husband, says from behind me. "I thought the girls were joking, but you're really here!"

"Aw! It's good to have us all together again!" Erin says, making me chuckle.

"God, I missed you guys." I give Gav a tight hug, too.

"It's been too long, Jen," he says as he pulls away.

"I know." I look down, feeling like I've disappointed all of them somehow.

Once upon a time, we were all a close-knit group, sharing a bond that only years later I would realize was not so easy to happen. We did everything together, and quite often, they provided me with the big family I never had. Gran never had brothers or sisters, and my grandfather's family never cared about us, especially after his death over twenty years ago.

For some time, it was just me, Gran, and mom. It still hurts to think about her and how young she was when she died. I was just five, but my memories of her are still solid and vivid. As a young child, I remember how scared I was to go to kindergarten, but then I met these guys, and we kind of stuck together.

Well, at least until the day I left.

"If you make me cry, I'll kick you in the nuts!" I slap Gav's arms, making him laugh.

"Hey!" Denise pulls him to her.

"Lola says she's throwing herself a birthday party. If we knew that was the way to bring you back, we'd do it sooner," Adam says, and I roll my eyes.

"She's a manipulative old lady." I shake my head. "She knows I'd never say no to that."

"So, now that we have you for a few days," Gav says, "we should remember the old times and have some fun together."

"What do you have in mind?" Adam asks, and I smile at the mischief in his eyes.

"We used to throw the best parties around here," Gav says. "I'm sure we can put something together."

"Oh, like a reunion or something!" Erin says excitedly. "Most of our friends are still around. I'm sure they'd be glad to get together."

"Come on, baby! No fancy shit or anything, please." Adam shakes his head, but you can see in his eyes he'll do whatever she wants.

"How about a bonfire?" Denise says. "The weather is nice, and it's casual enough."

"Aren't we a little old for that?" I chuckle.

"Hey! You're old!" Denise laughs, and the guys are already nodding at her suggestion.

"Come on, Jen," Erin says. "It will be fun! Like old times."

"Last time we were at a bonfire together, we ended up skinny dipping in a cold lake in the wee hours of the night." I laugh, remembering how stupid and bored we were most of the time.

"Dear God! You're right!" Denise shakes her head. "I had totally forgotten about that."

"You know it, Jen!" Adam raises his hand for a high five, and we all laugh.

Yeah, I guess some things never change.

*****

Opening my eyes, I wake up to the light fog of a hangover. The bright sunlight coming through the windows disorients me a little and I need to take a moment to remember where I am.

When I look around, my heart is filled with a warm feeling that brings a smile to my lips. My silly grandmother has left my room untouched, and I can still smell the familiar scent of my old life. It's almost like I'm waking up again in the past; like I'm waking up for another school day.

As I reluctantly leave the warmth of my cozy covers and gather the items I need for my shower, the sound of Matt's laughter coming from downstairs reaches my ears.

Damn it! I shouldn't enjoy it this much!

After a long, hot shower, I stand in front of the mirror and towel off my hair. Grabbing my make-up bag from the nightstand, I feel a sense of freedom as it dawns on me that no one here would judge me for my appearance while I'm out running errands. Chuckling, I just run a comb through my hair and dig into my suitcase for a light summer dress.

When I make my way down the stairs, I can't help but let out a deep breath at the sight in front of me. Matt is wrenching on a pipe under the kitchen sink, while Gran is stirring something in the oven. They are both laughing hard, and I clear my throat as I approach them.

"Good morning." I walk to the coffeepot and his laugh dies on his lips.

"Morning, sweetheart! Did you sleep well?" Gran asks, bringing her attention to me.

I take a sip of my coffee. "I did, thank you."

"All done, Lola." Mat stands up and gives me a nod before washing his hands.

"Thank you, honey." She fills a mug with coffee and hands it to him. "You're a lifesaver."

"Thanks." He gives her a small smile, clearly avoiding me.

"I was thinking about setting up a tent outside as a backup plan, just in case the weather takes a turn for the worse for the party..." Gran fills the awkward silence.

"That's a great idea," I say. "I think we could hang some outdoor string lights around the property to create a festive atmosphere and put a makeshift dance floor near that big old oak tree in the back."

"Oh, that would be wonderful." She looks from me to Matt, who has now put a big distance between us. "You know what? If it's really that awkward for you two to be around, we can come up with another plan."

"No, Gran, we're doing it!" I look at Matt, who is now studying me curiously. "The past is in the past. We've both moved on. It's time to let it all go. Right, Matt?"

"Yeah..." He clears his throat. "Of course."

"Well, if you guys say so..." Gran searches my eyes, and I force a smile on my lips.

"Yeah," I say. "Why don't we go outside and come up with a plan for the decoration and stuff?" I walk to the sink to wash my mug and motion for Mat to give me his so I can wash it, too. He's looking at me as if he doesn't believe a word I'm saying, but I just ignore him. I'm doing this for Gran. I don't care what he thinks.

"Yes, I'm so excited!" Gran claps her hands, making us chuckle. "Let's do this."

*****

After strolling around the property, we got creative and came up with a cute decoration scheme for Gran's party. Beautifying places is what I love to do, so time flew by as we worked to plan everything. Matt was mostly quiet by our side, but I noticed how he took notes and searched for the things we wanted on the internet.

As we make our way back to the house, Gran's phone buzzes and she takes a few steps away, apologetically. Once it's just me and Matt, I feel the tension between us increase, and I know we need to talk.

I take a deep breath, allowing my body to relax. "Matt."

His eyes meet mine, and the hurt and sorrow that he is feeling is clear in his gaze. "Do you really hate everything we once had here?" he asks.

"No," I whisper, unable to deny how much I loved him.

He swallows hard, his eyes shining with emotion. "We were happy here, Jen."

I avert my gaze, my heart clenching painfully in my chest. "Do you think we can do this without this wave of hurt, anger, and resentment hovering over us?"

"Do you?" He gives me a small smile.

I scoff, my head shaking. "Could we just do this for Gran? She's so excited..."

He sighs. "She knows she can count on me for whatever she needs."

"Matt." I touch his arm, and he closes his eyes for a second. "Do you think we'll ever be able to be friends?"

A reluctant chuckle leaves his lips as he shakes his head. "Friends?"

"Why not?" I nudge his chest, and he captures my hand, holding it close to his chest.

"You hate me." He gives me a small smile when I pull my hand away.

A lump forms in my throat, making it difficult for me to speak. "I was mad, disappointed, hurt... but... I could never hate you."

He nods, his shoulders visibly relaxing. "Friends, Jen? Really?" He laughs, and I have to bite my lips to keep from joining him.

"We were friends once..."

"For a whole damn week, yeah!" He shakes his head, probably remembering the day he moved into town and met me and the rest of our gang.

"We were too young to be dating at that age."

His lips curl into a smile. "Yet, you were already my girl..."

"You're crazy!"

"But you know it's true." He raises his eyebrows, and I feel myself blushing at the intensity of his gaze.

"Come on, Mat. For Lola! We're both adults." I clear my throat. "I'm sure we can tolerate each other's presence for her sake."

He sighs. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

-----

A/N: So friends, huh? ;)

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Celeste