Please R&R, 'cause I want to know if you like it ^^

Patrick walked around the school, around the shops on the main street, around the restaurants where he once brought friends and girls. He remembered that exact place where he and Kat had to run away without paying, because he had no money. He smirked – he had not been quite the gentleman but she still liked him them.

Oh, crap. What would he do if he sees her? But no, he wouldn't, he was be careful. Would she recognize him? They maybe have changed too – Kat was 26 and Bianca was 24 and he was sure they were not the teenage girls he remembered, but grown women.

He wasn't the same boy either. He had learned to take responsibility for his actions, and he could bear the consequences – and especially his one decision to leave Kat and never see her again. He found himself standing in front of a bar that he wanted to visit since he was fifteen (but of course never went in, since it was forbidden). He smirked and thought he should grab his chance and entered.

It was too crowded, there was too much noise and drunk people. Patrick ordered a whiskey and looked around. There were no familiar faces but one – he saw the glimpse of blonde hair and a laughter he know well. Before he could even think of hiding or running away, her eyes caught him and it was already too late.

Bianca Stratford was walking towards him, tall and gorgeous in her blue sweater and black skirt. This bar definitely wasn't the place for the girly Bianca to hang out, but years have gone by, things have changed and the people he knew before probably were changed too.

"Are my eyes deceiving me?" Bianca laughed. "Patrick Verona is back? For good?"

"Oh, no, I wouldn't say so. You look great, Bianca, it's nice to see you."

And of course, that was a lie. Damn, he ran into her sister. There was no way now she wouldn't find out he was here – as far as he knew Bianca, she was going to call her sister the minute he left.

"Thanks. It's been ages, how've you been doing?"

Terrible. Awful. I hate my life, it's nothing like I've imagined. And now that you saw me, it's even worse.

"Terrific," he smiled. "Everything is fine. I live in New York now."

"Oh, God, New York! I want to live there so bad. Why are you here?"

Why was he here really? It wasn't about his old friends – he didn't have any, and it wasn't for his parents – they didn't live in California anymore. So really, what was he doing here?

"Well, I'm on a vacation and I didn't really know where to go, so I just came back for a while. Not for a long time though."

Bianca narrowed her eyes. "Patrick, are you going to call her?"

He thought about it for a moment. He wanted to, but in the same time he didn't want to. Maybe time had changed here, maybe her life was too different now. He didn't have the right to show up like that, but he needed to hear her voice.

"No, I'm not. As I said, just passing by. She doesn't need me now and I'm just going to mess up her mind if I see her."

She looked a little bit upset and a little bit mad. "You had to think about that before coming. She'll know you're here – if not from me, from some random person who'll see you on the street and tell her. And you are right. You shouldn't mess up her life. She is happy now, or at least she looks happy. You broke her heart, Patrick. What do you think? You'll knock on her door and she will fall into your open arms? Life doesn't work that way and she has a life of her own. Without you in it – and you chose that. So it's too late to apologize or to want her back. You had your shot and you missed and that's that."

He didn't expect that. From Kat or her father – yes, but not for sweet little Bianca. And the worst part was that she was right. He shouldn't interfere with Kat's life, because she didn't deserve that. But he didn't know if he could stay away.

"I know, Bianca" he sighed. "I screwed up and I don't think she'll ever forgive me. But I need to see her and know she's okay."

"Well, she is!" Bianca snapped. "So stay away from her."

She grabbed her purse and left the bar without paying. He smiled – some things were still the same, like Bianca assuming that every guy would want to pay for her drink. He left shortly after her, not knowing where to go or what to do.

Patrick walked the empty streets, remembering again everything and replaying Bianca's words. She told him Kat was happy. He wish he could feel the same way, but here he was, in his old city, trying to not think about the girl he dated seven years ago. And yet she had forgotten him.

Of course there were other girls. He wasn't a saint, nor he felt committed to her all these years. Some of the girls were serious, some of the girls were just one night stands. It wasn't like he was stopping himself for feeling love or having fun the past few years, it's just that… there was something. Something missing. It wasn't Kat, but the feeling that there was something unfinished. And maybe it was time he finished it.

Without noticing, he had reached the Stratford house. He didn't know if the family still lived here and even if they did, he was almost sure Kat had moved out. It was her dream even before and her dad wouldn't let here so now, when she was older, Walter couldn't have stopped her.

He tried to resist the urge to jump over the fence and to look through her old window, but he couldn't. Her room was almost the same – the bed, the books all over the place, even her scent. It was impossible that she still lived here, right? But the lamp turned on and he saw the familiar silhouette – the thin girl with curly brown hair which was now in a messy bun. She was still sleepy, but she had seen him.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"