June 14th, 2004

Angel Grove, CA

The sound of pots and pans in the kitchen awoke me the next morning. I opened my eyes, taking a moment to remember that we weren't in Miami anymore. Rolling over, I saw that Nick was still sleeping. The clock on the stand next to me told me it was just shy of 8 am. Tossing the blankets off of me, I grabbed my robe and pulled it on over my shorts and tank top. Putting my hair in a ponytail, I quietly walked out of the room and shut the door behind me.

"Morning." Trini said as I shuffled into the kitchen. She had a large blue pot of water on the stove top and another frying pan heating up next to it. "Sorry if I woke you up. I was trying to be quiet but Jason likes to stack our pans like jenga blocks for some reason."

"You're fine. This was actually sleeping in for me for once." I replied. She smiled, walking over to the granite counter next to the fridge. Grabbing an empty coffee cup from the hooks holding them under the cabinet, she poured me a cup. "Thanks." I said once she handed it to me.

"It's the least I can do. Is Nick still sleeping?" She asked. I nodded while taking a sip. The warm liquid tasted like french vanilla with a hint of hazelnut. It was lovely on my tongue, waking me up.

"Yeah. He should stir in a bit. He's usually a night owl." I perched myself up onto one of the nook bar stools and set my coffee cup up on the counter. "What are you making?"

"Potato salad and deviled eggs." She replied. "Wanna help me chop?"

"Sure." She grabbed a cutting board and set it infront of me. Walking over to the fridge, she opened it and pulled out a large box of eggs. She put these on the counter before grabbing a ten pound bag of potatoes from the counter. She carefully grabbed two knives and handed me one, putting the bag between us. I moved my cup to the side and grabbed a potato. I cut it in half before quartering it into cubes. Trini did the same, making a small pile on her side of the counter as she worked.

"So, are you excited about today?" She asked, eyeing me for a second. I nodded.

"I am! I can't wait to see are all coming, right?"

"Yup. I talked to Zack and Adam last night. They will both be here. Billy is coming with Tommy since he's helping him with something at the dojo. Aisha and Rocky are coming over shortly to help set up."

"I still can't believe they actually got married. I thought for sure you and Jase would beat them there, honestly."

"You and me both." She replied, flatly. I let out a little laugh, smiling at her. Trini had been waiting for years for Jase to propose. When he finally did, it was a good year and a half before Rocky and Aisha. He asked to take things slow though, not wanting to rush into it. That was three years ago and Trini gets a little heated about it whenever someone mentions their engagement.

"It'll happen, Trini. I promise." I said, adding my chopped potatoes to her pile. "Trust me. If I can hold out hope for a baby, I think you can for your wedding."

"I know. It's silly in comparison but the man makes me so mad." She picked up a handful of potato and plopped it into the boiling water.

"It is Jason, Trini. It takes him forever to do anything. But he does love you and I know the two of you will get married. Sometimes, he just needs a push in the right direction. I will gladly be that push until it happens." I said. She smiled, grabbing another potato to dice.

"Thanks. Listen, I have something I need to tell you. I was going to wait but I didn't want you to get blind sighted at the BBQ." I stopped mid knife stroke, looking up at her.

"I don't like the sound of that." I replied.

"Aisha and Rocky are expecting." She said softly.

"Oh." I said, feeling my arms relax. Inside, I felt the familiar sting of jealousy. It comes with the territory of infertility. I often found myself feeling it when someone at work or someone we knew back in Florida announced they were pregnant. It's an awful feeling watching people around you get something you've wanted so badly for so long. I set the knife down on the counter and took a sip of my coffee. "How long are they?"

"About a month or so. She found out a few days ago. Kim, she's super nervous about how you're going to react. She doesn't want to make you upset or anything by it." I nodded.

"I'm not upset." I said. "I mean, it stings but I can't stop the world from having babies just because I might not be able to have one. I'm happy for them, truly." I responded. She gave me a small smile, her eyes filled with caring and concern. "Are they announcing it to everyone today?"

"Rocky wants to but Aisha wanted to hold off until you knew." I sighed, scratching my forehead.

"I'm glad you told me. I think this is better than hearing it in front of everyone." Trini nodded.

"That's what I figured. I told her I would talk to you before they said anything. I wanted to tell you yesterday but I figured it'd be the icing on the cake after all the traveling and seeing Tommy."

"Yeah, about that." I glanced over my shoulder, making sure Nick wasn't in sight. Leaning forward, I lowered my voice. "Can we keep that between us? It's not a secret or anything like that but I don't want Nick to think I'm hiding anything since I didn't tell him yesterday."

"Of course." She replied, dumping the rest of the potato cubes into the pot. "Are you nervous about the two of them meeting?" I snorted.

"A tad. I'm just worried about the two of them getting along. If Tommy really means what you said about being friends, the two of them will need to learn to do just that." Trini leaned forward on her elbows.

"Does Tommy know that Nick was the guy in the letter?" She asked. I bit my lip, glancing down at my coffee. "Oh, yeah. This will go over well."

"Maybe I can just avoid talking about all that in general." I offered. She raised an eyebrow at me and I groaned.

"Kim, if you want to be friends with him, you're going to need to eventually talk about what happened between the two of you. Five years of silence and letting it hang there was not good for that. It'll be best to just get it out and into the open so you can have a clean slate going forward."

"You're right. You're right." I muttered, finishing my coffee. She poured some more. "Hopefully this doesn't all blow up in my face."

"Everything will be fine. If both those guys respect you as much as they should, you've got nothing to worry about."

I spent the rest of the morning helping Trini get food ready for the BBQ. Jason had left before I had woken up, heading to the dojo early to help Tommy and Billy rewire something. I folded silverware and napkins together, putting the little bundles into a metal tub at Trini's direction. I also finished the deviled eggs and mixed together lemonade and sweet tea. It was nice spending time with Trini like this. It reminded me of our times we spent doing club activities in school. Especially when we were in the mentor program and helped the girls in our program plan events. I felt useful and like I was a part of a circle of people again, something I lacked in Florida.

"I talked to my co-worker by the way." Trini said as I helped her set up a folding table in their backyard. It was a decent sized piece of land, big enough for a slab of concrete for a barbecue grill and a picnic table. In the grassy area, she had more chairs and a little fire pit with wooden benches around it. "He said that he could get you an interview sometime next week for that position if you're still interested."

"Yes!" I exclaimed. "I'll take whatever I can get."

"I'll let him know. He sounded pretty excited to have someone interested in the position. It's not one that gets a lot of traffic when they are hiring I guess. Hopefully this means that they are in a hurry to fill it."

"I hope so. I need something quick. I don't want to move into mom's without having a way to pay for things besides our savings." Behind me, I heard the sliding glass backdoor open. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw it was Nick. he had showered and changed into a pair of dark jeans and grey v-neck sweater. I smiled at him, standing up from the table.

"Hey." He said, smiling at the two of us.

"Hi." I gave him a kiss on the cheek. "How'd you sleep?" Shrugging, he tucked his hands in his pockets.

"Not bad. Do you need help with anything?" He asked. Trini nodded.

"If you could help me pull the grill out from the house. I was going to wait for Jase but I'd rather have it warmed up when everyone starts arriving." She explained. Nick nodded, glancing over at the gas grill that was parked up against the side of the house.

"Sure. Where do you want it?" He asked, walking over to it. He kicked the brakes off and tilted it, allowing it to roll towards us easily.

"Right here works." She replied, pointing at the grassy spot near us. "That way, I don't have to worry about my house torching." Nick set it down, locking it up again. "Thank you."

"Anytime. What were you girls talking about when I came out?" He asked, turning his attention towards me.

"I possibly have a job interview next week. Trini has to work out the details still but it's a good possibility." I replied, smiling at him. He returned it and for the first time since our arrival here, I saw a glimpse at the Nick I fell in love with.

"That's great, babe. I knew you could. So, who is all coming here today?" He asked.

"Well," Trini said, straightening out a tablecloth on the table that was red and white plaid. "You are about to meet some of the coolest kids of the graduating class of 1998 from Angel Grove High." I laughed.

"Oh, we definitely weren't cool." I said, shaking my head.

"You were a cheerleader though." She pointed at me. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Yeah but the other girls on the squad hated me. They can deny it all they want but they never wanted anything to do with me outside of the team."

"Bitches." Trini said, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, you've already met Jason and I. There's also Aisha and her husband, Rocky. Then there's Adam. He's a really laid back and quiet kinda guy. Zack is the complete opposite of him. Lastly, there's Billy and Tommy. Tommy is the one who owns the dojo Jason helps out at and Billy is a genius in every sense of the word."

"Tommy?" Nick asked, shifting so he was looking at me so Trini couldn't see his face. "Like your ex-boyfriend Tommy?"

"Uh...yeah." I said. "Everyone is still such a tight knit group of friends since high school." I followed quickly.

"We really are. Tommy is Jason's best friend. I'm sure you'll see a lot of him with everyone around here while you guys are crashing." Trini said, heading inside the house. I went to follow but Nick grabbed my elbow.

"So, when exactly were you going to tell me this?" He asked.

"Tell you what?" I replied, knowing full well what he meant by it.

"That your ex will be hanging around here all day. I thought he was ancient history. That's what you told me."

"He is ancient history. I broke up with him and that's probably the last time I contacted him. But I can't help it if he is still friends with all of my friends. Besides, I'm married now. An old boyfriend means nothing to me when I have you." I said, putting my hands on his chest. He eyed me, not saying anything for a long pause. Finally, he sighed and shook his head.

"Alright. If you say so." He said.

"I do. You have nothing to worry about." Standing on my tippy toes, I kissed his cheek. "I'm going to help Trini bring out some more stuff. Why don't you go relax until party time?"

"Yeah. Maybe I will."


A few hours later, Trini and I found ourselves in the backyard. She put Nick to work, getting the grill lit and starting with the corn on the cob which would take the longest. I was setting up the salads when the gate opened and I saw Aisha and Rocky DeSantos walking into the yard. He was carrying a cooler in his hands and she held the gate open for him. As she turned, her eyes landed on me and she let out a loud squeal. I set the plates I was holding down and ran towards her. She met me halfway through the yard, her arms wrapping around me in a tight hug.

"Oh my god! Girl! I missed you!" She exclaimed, the smell of her coconut perfume coming over me. Letting go, I was able to get a better look at her. The signature braids she used to have were shorter now, pulled back into a ponytail. Her dark skin was glowing in the sun, making the pale yellow sundress she was wearing pop against it.

"I missed you too! I'm so happy to see you." I said, feeling tears well in my eyes. I had missed Aisha. After Trini left, Aisha and I became super close. Her parents even allowed me to live with them when Mom moved to France. It had been hard leaving her but we've stayed in contact all these years. I was the first person she called when Rocky popped the question and we talked about it for nearly four hours before Nick told me to get off the phone.

"My turn." Rocky said, setting the cooler on the grass next to the table. Turning towards me, he took three long strides before wrapping me in a tight bear hug. I laughed, giving him a hug back. His hair was cut short on the sides and a tad bit longer on the top, his dark brown locks combed back with product. He was sporting a pair of khakis with a blue polo shirt, the little white logo on his left breast.

"I missed you too, Rocko." I said when he released me. "You both look fantastic." I said, smiling. "Aisha, you are already glowing."

"Thank you." She said softly, resting a hand on her belly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you myself. I was just so worried about how you would react with everything you have been through."

"I'm thrilled for the two of you! You are going to be great parents. Even Rocky." Aisha smiled a watery smile, looking up at her husband. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side.

"We're just glad you're not upset." He said, glancing over to me.

"How could I be upset? This is so exciting for the both of you! And I'm so glad that'll be here for the whole thing. Speaking of, give me one second." Turning around, I saw that Nick was talking to Trini by the grill. I waved at him, gesturing to him to come over. He did, putting a hand on the small of my back. "Nick, these are my friends Aisha and Rocky. Guys, this is my husband Nick."

"It's nice to finally meet you." Rocky said, shaking Nick's hand. "I know the girls must drive you just as crazy as me when they are on the phone for hours."

"You got that right." Nick said, nodding his head. "It's nice to put some faces to the names finally."

"Are you enjoying being here in California?" Aisha asked.

"It's still early but I think I'm going to like it. It's definitely a change of pace from Miami. It's quiet though and that's something I can get used to." Nick replied.

"Yeah. There's not much going on here in Angel Grove these days. But it's home." Rocky squeezed Aisha and she wrapped her arm around him. "What do you do for work?"

"I'm a DJ. At least I was in Florida. It'll take a bit for me to get back to that status again. Right now, we're just trying to find whatever to get some security."

"A DJ? That must be exciting! There's a huge wedding scene here. You could always try getting into that. I know my brides are always looking for new people." Aisha said.

"Aisha is a wedding planner." I explained. Nick nodded.

"Right. Yeah I don't do that kind of gig. I just stick to bars and stuff like that. That's more my crowd." He replied. "Probably something you guys aren't really into. Miami has one hell of a dark side if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Really?" Aisha asked. Nick nodded.

"Oh, for sure. I used to make sure to pack some heat some nights depending on the type of crowd. It's nothing like this place, that's for sure. I don't know how y'all would react to something like that day after day." I saw Rocky and Aisha's expression change and I fought the urge to hit Nick in the rib cage for being cocky.

"You're right. How would we know anything about that?" Rocky asked flatly. I was relieved to hear the sound of the gate again and saw that Jason was walking through it, Zack Taylor and Adam Park behind him. Zack was in front, the shorter African American man carrying two bags full of stuff. I saw his hair was back to the shorter dread look he had when we were younger though his features were more adult like. He wore light grey jeans and a black button up with short sleeves. Behind him, Adam was also carrying a bag. The more timid of our group, Adam's hair was much shorter now than the last time I saw him. It was a nice short length, leaving some of his curls for definition on the top of his scalp. He wore a green flannel shirt over a white t-shirt, light blue jeans on his legs. Both men turned to look at me when they emptied their hands.

"Well, there's a sight for sore eyes!" Zack said, holding his arms open towards me for a hug. I let go of Nick but I felt him attempt to keep his grip. I slid out of it without much fight, walking over to Zack to give him a hug. He kissed my cheek before letting go, a wide smile on his face. "You look great! Married life treating you good, eh?"

"Something like that." I said, grinning at him. "Did you get tired of NY?"

"Yeah. It was too loud and too busy. I just couldn't find my place there, ya know?" I nodded.

"I get that."

"Hey, Kim." Adam said, stepping next to Zack.

"Hi, Adam." I replied, giving him a hug. "How are you?"

"I'm good. You?"

"Just glad to be back. I love your hair like that. It suits you." He blushed slightly, looking at his feet.

"Thanks." He mumbled.

"I was just introducing everyone to my husband." I said, walking back over to Nick. "Nick, this is Zack and Adam."

"Hey, man." Zack said, shaking Nick's hand. Adam did too and Nick nodded at both of them in a manly fashion.

"Nice to meet you." Nick said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "Jeez, when Kim said she had a lot of friends here, I didn't think she meant her entire high school."

"Oh, this isn't even all of us yet." Aisha said, smirking. "I think we're still waiting on Billy and Tommy."

"They should be coming any time now." Jason called out from the grill where he was talking to Trini. "They were right behind me. I'm surprised Tommy didn't beat me here. We all know his driving."

"I resent that remark." Tommy's voice said as him and Billy came through the gate. I felt the air escape my lungs and my temperature rise a few degrees when I saw him. His hair was down today, brushed out around his head. He had on a white t-shirt, a silver chain around his neck and light blue jeans over work boots. In his hands, I saw two bags of ice that he plopped down on top of the cooler near the back door. Billy, the ever loving nerd in our group, followed him with two bags of ice himself. His dark blonde hair was neatly combed on his head and his glasses were on the tip of his nose. He pushed them back up, adjusting them as he did. He wore khaki pants and a light blue t-shirt with a logo for some science lab on it.

"Billy!" I said, smiling at him as I regained the ability to breathe. He smiled at me as he walked over. Nick let go of me slightly so that Billy could give me a hug.

"Kimberly, it's phenomenal to see you here again. I had rationed that you would only return under circumstances out of your control. I am glad to see I had been wrong in the assumption." He said. I nodded.

"It was time for a change, that's for sure." From behind Billy, I saw Tommy approach us. I felt the butterflies in my stomach return and a new sense of anxiety.

"Hey, guys." Tommy said, smiling at our group. When his eyes landed on Nick, he held his hand out. "You must be Kim's husband. I'm Tommy."

"Nick." He replied, shaking Tommy's hand. "You must be the one Kim broke up with for me."


Yikes!