Disclaimer: I don't own anyone.
Rated: M
Warning(s): Slash

"We wanted to take you out to dinner to celebrate your recent release." Ted told me with a radiant smile. "Kofi and Phil threw a few cents in as well, so you wouldn't have to even think about the cost."

I forced a small smile. Even if this was all extremely nice of them, it was still a little bit awkward. "You really didn't have to do that. But thank you for it. It is nice to be out with my friends after so much time in that room."

Ted nodded. "We just want you to feel at home. And if it becomes too much for you, let us know. We don't want to rush you into a corner." Ted said. "Look, we are already at the restaurant."

I looked around. Phil, Jeff, and Kofi were there. However, Cody wasn't. "Where's Cody?" I asked.

Ted shrugged. "I think he said that he had to pick up his friend Randy at the airport. You wouldn't mind if he joined us, would you?" Ted asked nonchalantly.

"No." I shook my head. "What is he like?"

"In four words?" Ted asked. "An Ex-Marine with PTSD."

"He sounds like a real winner." I said as I climbed out of the car and followed Ted into the restaurant and over to the table that had been reserved for us. "Tell me, is he at least nice?"

"He's… tolerable. He suffers from IED, which is directly related to his PTSD. But he has several techniques that he has learned to be able to handle it better. He should be fine today." Ted assured me.

Kofi, Phil, and Jeff all wandered over to our table and sat down. The waitress came over after a few minutes and asked if everyone had arrived. Ted explained to her that we were still waiting for his husband and his husband's friend, but that we would like to order our drinks and place our orders for our dinner. She accepted that and brought two more chairs over to the table for when they finally arrived.

Next, she took our orders for our drinks and our dinners. We decided to split an appetizer of sixteen hot wings between the four of us while we waited. Kofi ordered water and a chicken salad. Phil ordered a Diet Pepsi and a medium rare steak with a side order of fries. Jeff looked at him like he was an overgrown child, before he ordered a 7-Up with chicken and fries (off the kid's menu). Ted had a Coke and baby-back ribs. I ordered water and a salad.

Once the waitress disappeared, Cody and Randy arrived at the restaurant. Cody looked totally out of breath and exhausted. For the first time in all the years that I had known him, I could see the true effects of the drugs that he had done. It reflected in his eyes and in the way that he carried himself. Randy followed closely behind him. When I saw him, my heart leaped into my throat and I could've sworn that I had died then and there.

"Sorry that I'm so late." Cody said breathlessly. "I had to find a babysitter and Randy's flight was delayed and all that other shit. But I'm here now and so is Randy, so…"

Ted pulled out the chair for his husband, which left the chair at the other end of the table – next to me, of course – available for Randy. "Randy, this is John. John, this is Randy." Ted introduced us.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, John." Randy told me in his totally drool-worthy southern drawl.

"It's nice to meet you as well." I told him with a smile.

I could tell that Randy was interested in me. Just from the way that he looked me over, well, it was like I was a piece of meat. I was attracted to him too, but I wasn't sure if I was ready to make that kind of commitment. Besides, I didn't know Randy all that well. From what Ted had told me, he had just about as many problems as I did. But could I really open myself up like that, when there was a chance that they could be taken away from me?

Our food arrived and we started to eat. Meanwhile, Randy and Cody ordered their own food. I didn't eat fast because I wasn't really all that interested in the food before me. The last meal that I had had in a group like this was when I had had my last dinner with my boys and Dwayne. Dean was still a little baby and Michael and Liam were just starting school. That was the last dinner that we had had as a family. Randy and Cody's dinner arrived a few minutes later.

"Oh, John." I turned to Ted. "I wanted to tell you that AJ took over the bar after you left. She said that you are welcome to take it back whenever you feel that you are up to the task."

"That was extremely nice of her." I told him.

"And Jeff and I have talked about it. You're welcome to stay with us until you're able to be back on your feet." Phil told me. Jeff started to choke on his food and Phil shot him a look.

I shook my head. "You really don't have to do that. I know that you have a lot of work with the twins and the triplets. I don't want you to have to worry about me too."

"You're not a worry. You're a friend." Phil clarified.

Jeff looked at me sheepishly. "He won't take 'no' for an answer, so it's easier to just tell him you'll stay with us."

I chuckled. "Okay. I'll stay with you for a little while. But only until I'm able to get back on my feet."

Phil nodded. "Of course. Do you think that you will stay in Cameron or maybe you'll hit the road and move to a different town or state?"

"I don't know yet." I shrugged. "I'll move wherever the wind blows me. But for now, I'm happy to be in Cameron. It's still my home, whether I have a house to live in or not."

But it wouldn't be my home for very long. I moved from Cameron to Charlotte three months later, where I rented an apartment in the attic of Barbie Blanc's house. Yes, the same woman that has had a crush on me ever since I started to work at the gym. She was more than happy to offer the attic to me. She didn't want to charge me, but I had insisted. I wanted to make my own way. Now, I paid her two hundred dollars a month.

I'm sure that she wondered what had become of my handsome husband and my three beautiful boys, but she must've sensed that it was a difficult part of my life and she didn't ask me about it. I was thankful for that. Every day, I made the difficult commute from Charlotte to Cameron, where I would work at the bar on the weekend and at the gym every day of the week. I made decent money, but it still wasn't the kind of money that I needed to buy a house.

However, wherever I went, Randy was there. Sadly, it kind of reminded me of how Dwayne would come for me at work and how he would show up whenever I needed someone to talk to. I had become friends with Randy. In fact, I found out that he also lived in Charlotte – across the street, no less. I didn't want to feel like I had overstayed my welcome with Barbie, so I moved across the street and rented out Randy's spare bedroom.

One morning, Randy made both of us breakfast. It always seemed like he had money to burn, but I never saw him work. It was an odd conundrum. "Morning, Ran."

"G'morning, John." Randy slurred. He looked like he was ready to head back to bed. His blue eyes watched as a pancake flipped into the air.

"How are you today?" I asked. Like I said, we had become excellent friends over the last few months. He wasn't extremely talkative, but…

"Good. I didn't sleep all that well. I told Cody that I would babysit their daughter for the day. You don't mind if she comes over, do you?" He asked.

"No." I shook my head, before I smiled sadly. "I love kids."

Randy nodded. "When will you be home from work? I was thinking that maybe we could go out to dinner? That, and the fact that I have to shop for more food and I don't feel like it."

I raised an eyebrow. "Would this be a date?"

"Only if you want it to be a date." Randy clarified.

I smiled at him. "A date it is, then."