Author's Note: As in many stories, things are going to start speeding up. I don't know if that's going to signify a close ending or not, but just as a heads up. Enjoy!

Chapter 31

October

Roger rolled his eyes and rested his feet on top of the coffee table in the loft. He and Mark were alone, waiting for the others to return from work or wherever else they may be.

"Mark, stop," he complained, pushing Mark's camera out of his face. "Don't you have work or something?"

"I finish at five, genius," Mark laughed, placing his camera down on the coffee table. "Shouldn't you be at work, though? Mr. I'm-Too-Busy-Too-Hang-Out-With-My-Friends-Because-I-Have-A-New-Job?"

Roger furrowed his eyebrows and shoved Mark in the shoulder. "You're weird."

Mark pushed his glasses up on his nose and cocked his head at him. "Shouldn't you be at work?" It was unusual for Roger to be free at seven o'clock in the evening. On any given day, he'd be working late at the record store he was hired at a month ago, and he definitely wasn't one to skip work.

"No," Roger grumbled. "I don't even work today, which is stupid because I asked for every fucking shift I could get."

"Relax, man. It's okay."

"No it's not! This isn't some stupid part-time job. I'm making money for two. Oh, and sorry, we can't all have our parents giving us money when we run out, Mark."

"You're just too stubborn to ask for help in the first place."

Roger scoffed. "I am not! I can do this on my own. I don't need any help from anybody."

"Everybody needs somebody to help out."

"Maybe you do, but I don't. I'm not helpless."

"Shut up," Mark retorted lamely. He stood up from the couch and walked into the kitchen, pulling open the fridge and studying its contents.

Roger sighed and leaned his head back onto the couch. He didn't want to apologize, but figured he should. It wasn't his fault that everybody thought he was useless. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Mark replied unconvincingly, keeping his eyes glued on the food inside the refrigerator.

"No it's not," he frowned. "I'm just a jerk."

"Yeah, you are," Mark told him, shutting the fridge.

"I just want April to be happy."

"I know. You tell me all the time. 'Ooh, I want April to be happy! I want to buy her a wedding ring! She's so wonderful! I looooove her so mu–' Ow!" he cried as he was hit with the pillow that Roger flung at him. "You are a jerk," Mark laughed, picking up the pillow. He plopped back down next to Roger on the couch and hugged the pillow in his arms.

"Mark?" Roger asked quietly.

"Yeah?"

"I never hit on Maureen."

"Huh?"

"Remember before? Like, way before when I first found about that me and April were sick and you thought I tried to get Maureen in bed?"

Mark's gaze drifted off to the other side of the loft. "Yeah…"

"I didn't."

"I know."

He looked over at his friend. "You do?"

"Yeah," Mark nodded. "She told me."

"She did? When?"

"Recently. She said she felt really bad about it."

"I'm sure," he grumbled. "And you're not mad at her?"

Mark rolled his eyes. "No, she was just being honest. We're working things through. She's not like she was before."

"Oh, please. She's exactly like she was before. She isn't different, Mark. People don't change that drastically over a couple months."

"Okay, fine. Whatever," Mark surrendered. "She's not different. She's just… I don't know… not cheating on me."

Roger laughed and crossed his arms over his chest. "You sure about that one?"

"God, Roger!" Mark yelled, jumping up from his seat. "Why is it people always have to be happy for you but you can't even try to pretend to be happy for me? You're always whining about everything and practically begging people for a pity party—"

"I am not!" he interrupted Mark, standing up, too. "I never asked for you to feel anything! Look, sorry if I'm not happy that you're dating the Super-Bitch, but can you really blame me? She's never been anything but rude to me and she's the last person I'd want to see my best friend with!"

Mark froze and looked at Roger. "I'm your best friend?"

Roger averted his eyes awkwardly and sat back down on the couch. "Yeah I guess. I mean… if you still want to be."

Mark sat down in the chair across from Roger and shrugged nonchalantly, both friends trying to be manly about the situation. "Yeah. Sure, I guess."

"Cool," Roger nodded before clearing his throat. "That was a really girly moment, wasn't it?"

Mark shook his head and laughed. "Yeah."

"I feel like we should go to Hooters or something."

"Maybe," he laughed. "I'd probably get more action there than I've got in a long time, anyway."

"Huh?"

"Nothing," Mark replied quickly. "Never mind."

Roger grinned. "Is Mark not getting any?"

"No, nothing," he replied, blushing and covering his face.

"You mean to tell me that you're with Maureen, the same Maureen who tried to get you to do it on the Staten Island ferry, and she isn't putting out?"

"No!" Mark whined, finally giving in. "No…"

"Seriously?!" Roger laughed. "That is the funniest thing I've ever heard!"

Mark glared at him and Roger immediately quieted down.

"…I mean, from my perspective. For you, though, I'm sure it sucks…"

"Shut up, Rog," Mark laughed. "She wants to take things slow or whatever."

He rolled his eyes.

"Right, and I gave birth to a puppy yesterday," he replied as the door opened and Collins walked in, dropping his bag by the door.

"Hey guys, what are you doing here?"

"Good to see you," Roger greeted him sarcastically.

"I live here, too," Mark laughed. "I just… haven't been here for a while."

Collins shook his head and walked into the kitchen and started rummaging through it for some food.

"We told everybody to meet here tonight," Roger grinned. "Hope you don't mind."

He shrugged. "Nope, it's not like I have anything else to do. Is April coming by? I have some stuff she asked me for."

Roger shook his head. "Nah, she has some assignment to work on, so she's at the library. Fun shit, eh?"

"Oh yeah," Collins laughed, pouring some Captain Crunch into a cereal bowl for himself. "School is fun shit. So she's enjoying herself?"

"Yup, she really likes it. She's crazy, if you ask me."

Collins laughed. "Oh, you have no idea what you're missing." He sat down on the couch next to Roger and the three friends returned to conversation. "If I give you the stuff could you pass it on to her?"

Roger nodded. "Are you having an affair?" he asked mock-seriously.

"Not quite," Collins laughed. "Some stuff about essays and citing sources. Oh, and some—"

Mark and Roger cut him off, pretending to be asleep, snoring loudly. Collins flipped them off and swallowed a spoonful of his Captain Crunch.

"Losers," he laughed.

Suddenly, the door swung open and an extremely elated Benny and Mimi burst into the room, grinning.

"We have news!" Mimi squealed, wiping tears from her face. All three men looked over at her, Mark and Roger standing up.

"We're getting married!" Benny laughed as Mimi held up her jeweled hand for the boys.

"Look!" she giggled. "Look!"

Benny picked her up and spun her around as the other three stared at the couple in disbelief.

"Honestly?" Roger stammered, the only one out of the group who could think of something to respond with.

Mimi nodded, grinning.

"Yeah, we know she's young…" Benny started.

"But we love each other!" Mimi finished for him. "I'm engaged! I've never been engaged! This is so much fun!"

Roger shook his head and laughed before hugging Mimi. Mark and Collins shook Benny's hand, congratulating him.

"Wow, that's great news!" Collins exclaimed, still slightly skeptical.

"Yeah," Mark agreed. "Congrats, you guys."

"Thanks!" Mimi grinned.

"I don't think we have any champagne…" Collins started, walking into the kitchen. He pulled open the fridge and took out a couple bottles of beer. "But with this do?"

Mimi came up behind him and took two out of his hands. "Of course it will." She walked back over to the couch, right past Benny who had his hand out to receive a beer, and set both bottles carefully in her lap.

"I can't believe you guys are actually getting married," Mark noted, triumphantly beating Roger out for the chair by the couch.

"Yeah, 19 years old and already someone's old lady," Roger teased.

"Shut up," she laughed, taking her extra bottle out of Benny's hands after he had managed to wrestle it away from her. "You're already married, too, you know."

He frowned and took the beer that Collins was offering him. "Shit, I forgot. Fuck, I'm old."

"How do you forget you're married?" Mark asked, frowning.

"I don't know," he shrugged, before adding in quickly, "Don't tell April I said that!"

"Blackmail," Benny suggested to Mark, wrapping an arm around Mimi's shoulders. Mark laughed and nodded, taking a sip of his beer, when without warning, Maureen entered the loft, announcing her return.

"I got mugged!"

A collective gasp came from the group and Mark and Collins got up and led her to the couch, Benny and Mimi standing up to give her room.

"What happened?" Mark asked, sitting down next to her and taking her hand.

She whimpered and collapsed into Mark's chest. "I sort of got mugged."

"What happened?!" Collins yelled, shocked and completely unaware that he was repeating Mark.

"Oh my God, chica are you okay?" Mimi frowned, kneeling in front of her friend. Maureen nodded and flopped her hands into her lap.

Mark stroked the side of her head and furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean 'sort of'?"

"I don't know," she whined. "Holy shit."

"Are you hurt?" Collins asked, sitting down on the coffee table in front of her and holding her hands.

She shook her head. "No…"

"Well what happened?" Benny repeated again as he slapped Roger, who was laughing, in the shoulder.

Maureen sighed and grimaced. "I don't know, I was waiting for a cab and this guy ran up to me and pushed me and was all 'give me your money, bitch!' and I fell to the ground, hitting my knee on the way down. So I was rubbing it and being all, 'ow', and he got all surprised and apologized and helped me up. Then he hailed a cab for me and helped me in and sent me on my way."

The group stared at her before starting to laugh slightly.

"So he didn't really mug you?" Mark asked, confused.

Maureen shook her head. "No, he was really kind of nice."

"Oh my God," Mimi snorted, covering her mouth. "Aw, sweetie, I'm sorry, but that was the funniest thing I've heard all day."

"Are you okay now?" Mark asked. Maureen rested her head on his shoulder and nodded.

"Yup," she replied calmly as if nothing happened.

Collins laughed quietly. "Well babe, we're celebrating. Do you want a beer?"

"Do you even know me?" she laughed, standing up from the couch and following Collins into the kitchen. "What are we celebrating?"

"I'm getting married!" Mimi screamed, scampering into the kitchen. Maureen whirled around and greeted her with a hug, both women jumping up and down squealing uncontrollably.

"Oh my God!" Maureen laughed. "That's so amazing! To who?!"

Mimi immediately stopped jumping and stared at Maureen, the rest of the group doing the same as realization washed over her.

"You're kidding me, right?" Mimi asked.

Maureen nodded casually. "Duh. Oh my God!" They hugged again. "Do you have a date set? Do you know what your dress is gonna look like?!" Maureen asked quickly, smiling.

Collins nudged her in the shoulder and handed Maureen her beer as he returned to the living room.

"They just got engaged, Mo. I doubt she's had much time to plan."

Mimi shook her head at him. "Please, I've known all that stuff since I was like, eleven. Well, I've always wanted to get married on Valentine's Day, I think it would be really romantic."

Benny rolled his eyes behind her back and the men laughed as Mimi went on to describe her dream wedding to Maureen, who didn't hesitate to offer her own opinions.

"Boy, am I glad I missed all that with April. She doesn't even want anything like that."

"Doesn't she want a ring?" Mark asked.

Roger shrugged. "Nope, that's my own thing. She keeps telling me she doesn't want anything," he laughed.

"You hit the jackpot, man," Benny shook his head. "I don't have enough money for that."

"You're just cheap," Roger commented. He corrected himself when Benny shot him a glare. "Sorry, thrifty. And looking quite handsome, might I add," he winked jokingly.

Benny shook his head as the phone began to ring. Collins got up to answer it.

"Hello? Yes, just a minute, please."

He covered the mouth piece and stuck the phone out in Mark's direction. "It's for you, man."

Mark got up to answer it, trying to dodge the girls to his right, and picking the phone up out of Collins' hand.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Mark, it's Michael."

"Oh, hey! What's up? Is something wrong?" It was strange for his brother-in-law to be calling him.

"Oh, no, everything's great! Cindy just had the baby! Eli Lewis, six pounds, four ounces."

"Oh my God!" Mark grinned. "That's great! Congratulations!"

"Thanks!" he laughed. "You'll have to make it down for the party at your mom's next week. She's already trying to decide what she'll make for lunch."

"Oh, well… as much fun as that sounds, I think she and Cindy are probably the last people who'd want to see me right now. We're not on the best of terms."

"Yeah, I've heard," he laughed. "Women. Anyway, I'd better go get changed out of this stupid hospital gown."

"Yeah, sounds like a plan. Talk to you later."

"Bye Mark."

Mark hung up the phone and put it back on the island.

"Everything okay?" Maureen asked, taking his hand.

He nodded. "I'm an uncle again. Eli Lewis."

Mimi shook her head and laughed. "Hope he's good lookin'."

"Mimi!" Benny chided her, laughing.

"What?" she defended herself, plopping down into his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Never mind baby," he laughed, nuzzling his face into her hair.

Mark wrapped his arms around Maureen's waist and pulled her closer to him, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"So you're sure you're okay?" he asked. "Not hurt? Or like, emotionally traumatized or anything?"

"No," she laughed. "Promise." She stuck her pinkie finger out, and Mark linked his though it. He smiled and looked her in the eye.

"Good." He kissed her gently, but was interrupted when he felt something hit his back.

"Ow!" he whined. He and Maureen looked down and found Collins' cereal spoon clatter onto the ground under them. They looked back up at them, a collective "Get a room!" emerging from the group.

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