A/N: Well I didn't get two uploaded in a week, but I'm determined not to leave you without a chapter for another month, so here ya go :) x

7pm rolled around faster than Macey had expected and as she walked into PJ Clarkes, she spotted Abby immediately. Two drinks were already on the table and Abby was sat there, staring at her phone.

"Hey" Macey smiled as she reached the table.

"Hey yourself." Abby stood up and hugged Macey. "Look at you. You don't look a day over 18"

"Oh I wish." Macey laughed as they sat down.

"God it's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Is that a ring on your finger?" Macey asked, noticing a diamond catching the light. "You're kidding?!"

"I wanted to tell you in person." Abby smiled. "We've been engaged for a couple of months now."

"He took his time, didn't he?"

"Well, there were a few bumps along that road to say the least."

"But you got there in the end." Macey took a sip of her drink.

"Exactly. Anyway, what's new with you?"

"Oh god, I don't even know where to start."
"How was Seattle?"

"You're definitely keeping tabs on me, aren't you?"

"I don't have to, kiddo. The tabloids are there for a reason." Abby laughed.

"Seattle was cold and lonely, to be honest."

"Well when you move to the other side of the country the loneliness is expected."

"I can't remember when we last saw each other, you know."

"Four years since we actually saw each other, but only two since we properly spoke." Abby clarified.

"Well college was fun while it lasted. Graduated with a 4.0 and then packed up and left for Seattle."

"Bit of a rash decision, wasn't it? You love it here." She said, sipping her drink.
"There was other stuff going on." She said, looking down at the table as she took a big sip of her drink.

"Preston?"

"How did you…?"

"I hear things." Abby shrugged.

"What things have you heard?" Macey asked. She usually paid little attention to gossip, but this was different.

"You were on and off all throughout college despite the fact that you rejected his proposal in Europe, and then you were sneaking and cheating on people you guys were with. And then it got messy, so you left."

Macey sat there, almost in a stunned silence. Not a word of it was a lie but she wasn't sure how Abby knew the ins and outs of a relationship she thought she'd kept fairly private.

"Preston still talks to Zach." Abby said, answering Macey's question before she'd even asked it. "And Zach is about to be my stepson. He's also engaged to my niece."

"Preston didn't mention it." Macey said, muttering under her breath. She should've known better. Abby had hearing like a bat. She didn't miss a word.

"You're talking to Preston again?" She exclaimed, seemingly surprised.

"Yeah, as of yesterday. It's a long story. We're friends, it's whatever."

"That sounded so sincere and genuine, wow." She said sarcastically.

"I can't believe he wouldn't mention it, especially if he still speaks to Zach."

"Don't read into it, it probably slipped his mind. I doubt he was thinking about anything other than you."

"I guess." Macey shrugged.

They ordered food and several more rounds of drinks. Small talk was made and stories shared, and as they sipped on their cocktails the hours seemed to fly by.

"We've been here for three hours" She laughed. "Can you believe it?"

"My internal clock is 100%, so yes I can."

"Mine's basically dead at this point." Macey laughed. "I guess that's what happens when you leave spy school and don't look back."

"You ever regret it?" Abby asked.

"Not joining the Agency. Sure. Too late now though, right?" Macey replied, pausing awkwardly.

"Actually, wrong. You graduated from Gallagher and then from an Ivy. They'd want you to do some refresher stuff and some extra training, but they'd let you in in a heartbeat."

"Maybe one day." Macey said. "I've just started a new job here. T Magazine seems like a good fit for now and I'm loving being back in the City."

"And Preston's also in the City." Abby added.

"We're friends. I'm not staying in New York for him."

"But you won't leave now you know he's here." She smirked as she spoke.

"I told him I was out tonight and he assumed I had a 'hot date' as he put it, so I played along with it and he seemed a bit..."
"Jealous?"

"A little, yeah."
"And you didn't just tell him it was me? That, to me, sounds like you're trying to make him want you."
"Oh please, it's just a little fun." Macey laughed. "I'll tell him when I see him."

"And what if he goes out on an actual date to make you just as jealous?" Abby taunted and Macey's stomach dropped through the floor.

She didn't even want to respond, because the thought of Preston on a date made her feel way more uneasy than she wanted it to. She hated it, whether she wanted to admit it or not.

"I doubt he'd do that." Abby said, in an attempt to reassure her.

"He's changed. He's not the same as when you knew him. Hell, he's changed since I knew him. He's different now."
"That's hardly a surprise. Especially with his job and everything, the people he's around everyday are different. And it comes with time too."
"I don't know. He was talking about how he wants to get into politics and all of that kind of crap and…"

"I'm gonna stop you because I feel like I should make you aware of something. I know all this. I've seen him, recently." She said bluntly.

"How recently?" Macey was inquisitive and defensive now, and that was never a good thing.

"A couple of months ago."

"Another thing he hasn't mentioned to me, I see."

"He came to see Zach at Gallagher. I feel like I shouldn't be telling you any of this next bit…" She started and Macey became somewhat anxious.

"Just tell me, Abby."

Before Abby could speak, Macey's phone vibrated on the table. A message notification popped up, lighting up the screen. She ignored it. It couldn't be that important, at least, not as important as what Abby was about to tell her.

"He freaked out a little. He came to hang out with Zach for the weekend, it wasn't a big deal. But the last time he was at Gallagher before that was…"

"With me." Macey cut in. "That last Christmas when things were still fine with me and Cam. Sophomore year of college. We hadn't heard from Bex or Liz so I told Cam I'd come and stay for a bit and I brought Preston."

"Yeah well, turns out that coming back to Gallagher stirred some shit up in Preston's head and he was just a bit of a mess for the rest of that weekend. I only really saw him for an hour or so but from what I heard it wasn't good."

"God, I…"

"He really hasn't changed as much as you think, Macey. He clearly still has feelings for you. He asked if I'd heard from you since you'd left New York which, of course, I hadn't. And he just seemed so lost and very unlike himself."

Another message popped up on Macey's phone.

"You need to get that?" Abby asked.

"No I don't think it's imp…" Her phone vibrated again. "I'll just check it quickly, I doubt it's anything serious." She rolled her eyes as she unlocked her phone. It was difficult for her to decipher the feelings she experienced when she saw that all three messages were from Preston. It felt even worse when she actually read them, and it was obvious from the look on her face.

"Let me guess." Abby started. "Preston?"

Macey nodded as she read through the texts.

Hey, was super nice to see you (even if it was a total coincidence). You free next week? Was thinking we could go for dinner or something.

A fairly normal message, Macey thought, as she began to read the next.

Oh crap. You're on your date, aren't you? Okay don't worry about replying tonight. I can give you a call tomorrow or something? Sorry, again. Enjoy your date.

That one was a bit weirder. Much less like Preston. If she didn't know him better, she'd think he was stressing.

I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I just need you to know that I haven't been completely honest with you. I'm sitting here thinking about you on a date and it's making me feel strange but like in a way I haven't felt before. I know that's really unfair of me to say but I shouldn't have lied to you and said that I'm okay with being friends.

Macey was so ridiculously confused by the way those texts made her feel that she nearly forgot where she was.

"Macey? Hello?" Abby waved her hand in front of Macey's face, snapping her out of it. She didn't say anything, she just handed her phone to Abby and let her read. Not only did Abigail Cameron have incredible hearing, she also had an immaculate ability to read incredibly fast. "Well, I can't say I'm surprised." She looked up from Macey's phone screen.

"I just…"

"Do yourself a favour." Abby said. "Send him that picture of us. Put the poor guy out of his misery, he still thinks you're on an actual date."

Macey shook her head slowly, taking her phone from Abby. She sent the picture of the two of them to Preston with the caption 'My Hot Date x' and put her phone faced down on the table.

"I'm gonna conclude from your face that you actually thought he just wanted to try and be friends, because you look shocked on many levels."
"No. Yes…I don't know." She stumbled over her words, trying to collect her thoughts as her mind was racing. "I mean, I knew that there were obviously still feelings there. He was flirting like crazy the whole time we were together but we made rules."

"Rules?" Abby inquired.

"Rules for us being friends so that stuff like this didn't happen. It was his idea and everything." Macey shook her head again. She picked up her phone off the table and threw it in her purse. "I don't want to deal with this tonight."

"That's fair. It's a lot to be taking in in the space of a day or two." Abby sipped her drink, seemingly surprisingly sober for someone who was 4 drinks in.

"So, you never told me why you were in London."

"Oh, right. It's nothing bad or serious so get the worried look off your face." She smiled. "We're gonna get married over there, but Ed has literally no clue."

"You're surprising him?"

"What do you think? Good idea? Awful idea?"

"It's a great idea! I wish I was able to see it."

"Wait, you're not gonna come?"

"I just assumed it'd be weird. What with Cam and everything. I don't want to make her feel awkward or anything but I also don't really want to see her."

"God, I was really hoping the two of you would get past this. It's been like four years."

"Yeah, well. It was all so stupid but we're both too stubborn to back down. And she has no interest in seeing me again."
"That's not true." Abby insisted. "She was angry for a while but I'm sure she'd listen to you."

"Let me think about it." Macey sighed. "I'll add it to the metaphorical pile of things I have to contemplate."

"You didn't even let me get to the good part." Abby rolled her eyes. "I wanted to ask you if you'd help plan and coordinate stuff? I know you're a busy woman and all but after Rachel and Joe's wedding I just couldn't think of anyone better to help me out."

"Cam will not be okay with that." Macey scoffed. "I'd love to Abby but…"

"Think about it then? Just think about talking to her. You don't have to be best friends or even friends at all. Just clear the air, draw a line in the sand you know?"

"Hmm" Was all Macey said as she sipped the last of her drink.

"Well, I should probably head out. It's getting late for an old woman like me." Abby laughed, finishing off her drink too.

"I'm just gonna pop to the bathroom and I'll get the check" Macey said as she stood up.

When she got back from the bathroom, Abby looked up at her and handed her the receipt. "I got the check, my treat." She smiled as she stood up.

As they walked out together, Abby stopped and handed Macey a small, folded slip of paper.

"What's this?" Macey asked, opening it and seeing an address.

"An address."

"I don't…"

"You know what you need to do, kiddo." Abby smiled as she turned to walk away. "Go get him."

And like that, Abby was lost in the crowds and Macey stood there alone on 3rd avenue feeling more confused than ever.