A/N: Once again, thanks you to everyone who has reviewed! The constructive criticism is really helpful with making the story better, and thanks for all the compliments!

Looking out upon the streets of Playa Linda, Erika smiled at the sight of the town she grew up in. Nothing much had changed since she had last been there over a year ago.

Unsure of whether she was making the right choice returning to Playa Linda, she started down the crowded sidewalk, not giving herself the chance to go back. Coming back was the only way she could prove to herself that she was beyond her past; coming back proved that she was over Bradin Westerly.

But, of course, that could only be done if she actually saw him. As she continued walking down the strip, she couldn't help wondering whether he had changed, and whether she'd be okay with it. Shaking that feeling off, her thoughts went to Jay, the guy she'd always thought she was meant to be with until she met Bradin. It wasn't as though she didn't care for him, they still remained good friends, but she didn't know what to expect when she saw him again. If she saw him again. Jay had been upset when he found out she had taken off without an explanation and she never heard from him since, partly because she knew any ties with Bradin would never allow her to move on with her life.

Continuing her walk, she passed a group of giggling girls, reminding Erika that she was alone. Abandoning all her friends who begged her to stay, Erika not only cut ties with people connected to Bradin, she cut ties with everyone in Playa Linda. She didn't know if any of them would still talk to her. Nobody could understand her need to get away, nor did she expect them to.

Erika walked past the coffee shop she used to spend so much time in, chatting and giggling with her friends, not to mention where she and Bradin used to go after surf lessons. The aroma of exotic coffee beans and rich cream gave her taste buds a chill. It had been so long since she last had a chilled caramel latte, and that seemed to be what she needed right now.

Entering the shop, Erika saw that they had remodeled while she was gone, not to mention the workers she had known for so long were all gone. Walking up to the counter, Erika put in her order.

"$4.75," the clerk said from behind the counter.

Erika never used to have to pay full price for her drinks, but seeing as nobody here knew her she grudgingly handed over $5 and received her cold drink. She sat down at the nearest table and studied the new look of the shop. The walls that had once been pale blue had been painted over with a darker shade and various items added to make it look more like a coffee shop. She was glad to see that the tables and chairs remained the same, but the stage that once brought in crowds to be entertained was gone; in its place was a bigger one with fancier equipment.

As Erika began to ponder how much else had changed, she heard a voice call from behind her.

"Erika?"

Happy to know that someone she knew had found her, Erika turned around to find Jay standing there with a look of bewilderment on his face.

Unsure of what to say, Erika opened her mouth and let whatever out. "Hm—umm, yeah."

Not exactly the way she wanted to start a conversation, but went with it anyway. "Jay!"

Jay stood there with his mouth opening and closing like a fish. He was in an obvious state of shock. "What are you doing here?"

His voice was high, and Erika fought back a laugh. "That's it?" she asked, "no 'hey Erika', or 'it's nice to see you again, Erika'?"

"I'd rather know why you came back," Jay said, his voice returning to its normal pitch.

"I have my reasons," Erika smiled. She was glad to see that Jay still looked the same as he had when she left. His blonde hair was longer than she was used to, not to mention he had added a few more scars to his collection on his body, but otherwise he looked the same. Her gaze returning to Jay's, she said, "Jay, you know why I had to leave. I know it was hard for you, but it was hard for me, too."

Jay stared at Erika for what seemed like an eternity, and then walked over and sat across the table from her. "I'm sorry," Jay said, "I just can't believe you came back,"

"Like I said," Erika replied, "I have my reasons." She took a deep breath. "But I really missed you, Jay," she studied his face for a moment. "How've you been?"

"Good," Jay replied. He looked up at Erika. "You're not really here to see me, are you?"

"Of course I am!" Erika replied. She touched his arm. "Jay, we've been through so much together, what makes you think I wouldn't want to see you?"

Jay sighed. "What about Bradin?"

Erika paused. There was no denying she wanted to see Bradin. Hell, her heart ached to see him again, but sitting there with Jay, knowing how hurt he'd been when she and Bradin had first hooked up, Erika didn't have the heart to tell him how badly she wanted to see Bradin. Instead, she said, "I'll leave that up to fate," she took a sip of her latte and then looked back at Jay. "But if you could just not tell him that I'm back, that'd be great."

Confused, Jay asked, "Why?"

Because I'm not sure I'm ready, Erika thought to herself, but she wasn't going to tell that to Jay. "Again, I'll leave that up to fate," she smiled at him, "So, are you still running the surf shop?"

"Of course I am," Jay replied, "I love it there,"

Shrugging, Erika said, "I thought that since Bradin's career had taken off you'd have given it up."

Jay laughed. "That shop's given me everything that I've got. I'm not about to give it up. Jay Robertson never gives anything up."

Erika smiled to herself, enjoying the fact that Jay's ego was still as high as it had ever been. Of course, it was that ego that had caused their relationship to go bad, but she'd been able to accept Jay how he was, even if they couldn't be together because of it.

Realizing how much she'd missed Jay, Erika felt a pang of guilt. She'd never told him why she had left Playa Linda or why she had decided to come back, and yet he never seemed to really push the question why, and she was thankful for that.

Erika sat up in her seat, watching Jay as he played with his coffee cup between his hands. Feeling as though she owed something to Jay, she said, "I really did miss you, Jay."

Hearing the sincerity in her voice, Jay looked up at Erika and smiled. "I really missed you, too, Erika."