He'd seen her, sitting there by herself at a table with a purple mug in front of her as she stared around the half empty coffee shop.
She was still attractive, having always been with her large blue eyes and wavy caramel hair; it was no surprise when he saw some men pass by and examine her much to her oblivion. She'd obviously matured (he almost hadn't recognized her if he was being honest), and without doubt, she'd done so gracefully like he'd always thought her to. Grabbing his coffee cup and handing the barista some crumbled bills, he debated whether or not he should walk towards her.
It seemed his legs had betrayed him, and before he knew it, he stood in front of her without a word forming out of his lips. It didn't seem to help when she looked up, the familiarity of her eyes bringing back far too many memories.
''Truman?'' she asked, her lips parting and slowly forming up into a polite smile.
He could see that she was more surprised than happy, and still he felt his hands suddenly grow sweaty. ''Hey, Casey. Long time no see''
''Yeah, how long has it been? Twelve years?''
He nodded, letting out a low chuckle and tucking one hand into his pants pocket. ''Yeah. Man, the years really flew by''
''Tell me about it,'' she looked around once more, before looking back at him. ''Would you like to sit and catch up a little?''
Yes, he wanted that more than anything, but he also knew she was waiting for someone who was not, and would never be, him. ''Are you sure? It seems like you're waiting for someone-''
''Oh, he's running late anyway'' she waved her hand off, the same way eighteen year old Casey usually did. ''come on, sit''
He smiled, before grabbing the chair and taking a seat. Placing his cup on the table, he pretended he couldn't see the engagement ring resting on her left hand. ''So how are you? I didn't hear from you after we broke up that summer after graduation''
He ran his fingers through his dark hair, taking a deep breath. ''Yeah, I kind of decided not to keep in touch with anyone from high school. Believe it or not, having lost the most beautiful girl I'd ever met, really took a toll on me''
She smiled sadly, as opposed to giggling like he knew she would've had they been teenagers once again.
''I'm sorry. It wasn't too easy for me either, believe it or not''
''I don't believe it,'' he said, and they both laughed. ''But after that, I just went anywhere I could. I traveled a lot, and then I came back here a few years ago and I've been a bartender ever since''
''Wow,'' she smiled, and he could see the lack of judgment in her eyes. ''Well, I think it's great that you traveled. The world's too beautiful to take for granted''
And so were you, he wanted to say, but instead he took a sip of his coffee. ''So how are you, Case? Are you off saving the world like you always dreamed of?''
She chuckled, placing a strand of her hair behind her ear. ''Not necessarily. I'm a lawyer, so there's so much change I can do-''
''A lawyer? I wouldn't have expected less from you, Casey MacDonald. I always knew you'd be something great'' he lifted his cup at her, to which she grinned.
''Yeah, well, turns out George was right. I really can put up a debate'' Now it was her turn to drink from her mug, and he took that opportunity to examine her. Even with the slight bags under her eyes, she still managed to remain the best looking woman he'd ever come across. ''So how are you? Got a girlfriend?'' she sang.
He shook his head, sneering down. ''No, no girlfriend. Although, there's this drunk forty year old named Marla who keeps asking me out''
She laughed, and the sound of it made his heart accelerate. ''Not interested, huh?''
''Not in the slightest. What about you?''
That's when he saw it, the smile he'd seen on her face so many times when they had been dating, except it was brighter and more alive than any smile he'd ever seen on her. Stretching out her hand, he could see the clear diamond ring on her finger, and she couldn't had looked happier in that moment than she had in their entire relationship. ''I'm actually married''
''Married?'' Of course she was, who wouldn't want to marry perfection. ''Who's the lucky guy?''
''Actually you know him. Believe it or not he's-'' she stopped, glancing behind him, and Truman could hear the door to the shop open. ''-twenty minutes late''
He turned around, and if he were honest, he thought he'd either see Max Miller or Sam Richards standing there. But instead, he was greeted by the sight of the all too famous Derek Venturi, who strode towards them in rather irritated manner.
''You married your step-brother?'' he asked. It had come out rather harsh and judgmental, but he was more stunned to begin with. He knew they were close, but he never thought the two would've ended up together.
She nodded, a light flush invading her cheeks as Derek eventually reached them, folding his arms across his chest. The hockey player hadn't changed at all, except for the shorter hair and aged face, and suddenly Truman felt far too out of place. ''Well, if it isn't Truman. How are you, man?''
He stuck out his hand, to which Truman cautiously shook. ''Hey, Derek. I'm great''
He watched as Derek bend down, planting a kiss on Casey's lips and then taking a seat next to her. Placing his arm around her shoulder, he could see the guy attempting to fake a smile. ''So what brings you here?''
''I just came to get some coffee and I thought I saw Casey sitting here''
Derek's face twisted to guilt, turning to an all knowing Casey. ''Case, I'm-''
''Yeah, I know. Are mom and dad taking care of the kids tonight or are Lizzie and Edwin?''
Kids, of course they had kids. She's a thirty year old lawyer, married, with kids. And what was he? A bartender who could just nearly save enough to pay the rent each month.
''Actually, Edwin and Lizzie insisted on taking them, so hopefully they won't feed them all that ice cream like they did last time''
''How many kids do you have?'' he asked, causing both heads to turn his direction.
Casey grinned widely, pulling out her phone as Derek stared at her in amusement. ''We have three''
''Wanna see?'' she asked, handing him her phone and showing him a picture of two small children along with a baby sitting on a couch.
The little boy had Derek's hair and eyes, but he could see Casey's smile even with his front teeth missing. The little girl, too resembled Derek a lot, but had Casey's softer and gentle features, with her dark hair and round blue eyes. The little baby boy, with a small amount of brown hair on his little head, seemed to resemble Casey more, and even then she could still see the Venturi features to him. ''Wow, they're adorable''
''Thank you! Brett is six years old, our little Mackenzie is four and baby Jamie was born four months ago'' he smiled, seeing the pride and joy radiating from her eyes. ''Trust me, Truman, when you have your kids, you'll never love anything or anyone more''
''Yeah, our kids are pretty amazing'' Derek smiled, in such a soft and loving way, he didn't think this resembled the eighteen year old reckless boy who'd been known for his crazy behavior and enormous ego. ''They definitely get it from their father''
Never mind, there it was.
Truman took a deep breath, rising from his chair and clearing his throat. ''Well, it's been nice catching up, but my shift starts in half an hour and I don't want to be late…again''
Casey stood, and hugged him, to which he could barely manage to hug back. It didn't last for more than a few seconds, and even then he could feel Derek's gaze burning into him. ''It's nice seeing you again, Truman. We should do this again''
''yeah, for sure'' he grinned, shaking Derek's hand. He could feel the extra grip to it, and he tried his best to hide the pain on his face. ''Nice seeing you, Derek''
''You too, Truman''
He grabbed his cup, waving to them one last time, before beginning to walk away.
He could hear Casey going on about 'being jealous' and that 'they were adults now', and even then he still couldn't keep his mind off of the fact that they were together.
Derek Venturi and Casey MacDonald had never gotten along for the most part. Was it because they had been hiding their feelings for each other all along?
He shook his head, closing the door to the shop behind him and beginning to walk off.
One thing was for sure; he was going to need more than one coffee to figure the whole thing out.