Note: Okay, this chapter was a little unplanned...Zorabet was kind enough to point out that an earlier chapter said that Benny knew both Roger and Collins and the three were friends, so Collins not knowing Roger was a lil confusing. This chapter explains why they didn't know each other. Enjoy! And thanks again for the reviews... Keep voting on your favorite ships because I'm pretty open as to what happens next.
Collins sat back at the table. "I am stuffed."
"Me too," Mimi said.
Collins shook his head. "Somethin' about that boy…"
Angel smacked him upside the head and pouted her lips.
"Ow! What the hell was that for?"
"You could at least wait for me to leave the table before you check out—"
Collins started to laugh. "Angel, baby, no. That's not…He looks like this guy I used to live with. Didn't know the guy too well but we had a mutual friend."
"Hm…maybe it is him."
"Wow, I haven't thought about that kid in years."
"Well, I loved this dinner and everything but I've got to get to work. I promised I'd close up the camera shop."
"Didn't you already work today?" Angel asked.
"Joys of working a small shop. Double shifts."
Collins shook his head. "Damn, girl…"
She shrugged. "Not so bad. Here, this should cover my—"
"No, no, no, honey," Angel said. "We got it."
"Ang—"
"She's right. Don't worry about it. Get your ass to work and we'll see you soon, girl."
"Okay. Thanks," she said. She leaned over the table to kiss Angel's cheek, then Collins's.
Mimi slipped out of the café, not daring to look back at Roger. She'd been gone only a minute or so when Collins felt a tap on his shoulder.
"Hey," he said, turning to see Roger.
"Hi. Um…this is gonna sound weird but did you ever live in Alphabet City?"
"I knew it!"
"Did I miss something?" Mark asked.
Angel shrugged. "If you did, so did I."
"Friends with Ben Coffin, right?" Collins asked.
Roger smiled. "Yeah, yeah. Tom, right?"
"Yeah…Damn, man, it's been a long time!"
"Yeah, has to have been…wow, um…well it was before I went to school, so….ten years?"
"Somethin' like that. Too damn long, anyways," he laughed.
Roger nodded, still smiling.
"Either of you going to clue us in as to what you're talking about?" Mark asked.
"Sorry…remember Benny and I told you about that year we lived together before school started?"
"When he dated that psychotic rich girl?"
"Yes! A…oh, hell, what was her name?"
"Allison!" Collins said after a minute.
"Yes! Allison," Roger said, him and Collins both laughing.
"Okay, um…unless I'm really missing something, that still doesn't explain how you two—"
"Nah, man, remember I told you that Benny and I lived with the struggling author, Tom?"
"Oh! You're Tom?"
"Yeah but nobody calls me that anymore. Just go by Collins."
Angel smiled at their little reunion. "So you guys lived together with Benny somebody?"
"Yep. Ben Coffin. I work with him now, actually."
"No shit?"
"Yeah."
"Well sit down, sit down," Collins said. "How's that boy doing?"
"Fine. Good. Sorry, I haven't met—"
Angel held her hand out. "Angel Dumott Schunard."
"Nice to meet you. Roger Davis," he said, shaking her hand.
"Wow…what are the odds that you guys would end up meeting up again after all these years?"
"Seriously. And in New York City."
"Center of the universe," Angel said, "now tell me, then, what happened with you guys?"
"Oh, well, I'd just graduated high school and needed a place to live. Benny and I had known each other for a while and we were never great friends, but he'd just moved into this apartment in Alphabet City. Said the place was huge, so I moved in. Tom moved in, I think, like a week later."
"Yeah. Met Benny at a bookstore and we got to talking and it turned out we had a lot in common."
"So then the three of us lived there, pooling our money and saving money living in this abandoned apartment for almost nothing rent. And after about a year, Collins landed his first book deal and moved out. Couple months after that, Benny and I both started school and rest is basically history," Roger said.
"That really is amazing that in a city as big as this, two people would stumble into each other's lives not once, but twice."
"Bizarre…"
Roger glanced at his watch. "Shit…Mark, we gotta get going or I'm gonna be late."
"Oh, right. Sorry guys, uh…you know what, here's my card," Mark said, pulling a business card from his pocket. He produced a pen and jotted on the back of it. "My home number's on the back."
"Jot my number down too, will you?" Roger asked.
Mark nodded, adding more numbers. "Give us a call. We should all do dinner or something."
"Sounds great."
"Yeah, I bet I could even talk Benny into joining us," Roger said.
"It was nice to have met you guys," Mark said.
"Nice to meet you too," Angel said, smiling.
Collins shook his hand and patted Roger on the back. "You take care now, Davis."
"I will. I'll see you 'round, Tom."
Collins and Angel sat in silence for a minute. Angel giggled to herself.
"What's so funny?"
"Think it's a sign."
"Think what's a sign?"
"That you and Roger know each other."
"And what would that be a sign of?"
"That him and Mimi should get together."
"Well he's got her number."
"Yeah," Angel said, picking up the business card. "And now we have his number to make sure of it."
Collins laughed as he pulled her to her feet. "Let's get out of here, baby."
The two sauntered out of the café and headed back to their car.