Part Two- An Old Friend

A couple of days after she got settled, Kat decided to go to the market and stock up on some items. Her fridge was empty, she needed shampoo, and she felt the need to stock up on some personal items.

Kat was down the snack aisle when her cart bumped into another cart.

"Sorry," said the owner of the other cart.

"Excuse me," Kat said.

"No, it was my fault. I wasn't paying attention."

Kat smile turned to shock when she realized who she bumped into.

"Jason," she asked.

"Kat," Jason asked shocked.

"Oh, hi," Kat said.

"Hi," Jason said. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I know," Kat said. "I just moved back to Angel Grove this week."

"That's great," Jason said.

"Yeah," Jason said.

"So…"

"Um…, how have you been," Kat asked.

"Good," Jason answered. "I've been training some local kids in martial arts, you?"

"Oh, I'm good too," Kat replied.

Another awkward silence came between them.

"Uh," Jason said.

"Yeah," Kat said.

"I guess, I should go and let you shop," Jason said.

"Yeah Kat said.

Jason began to exit the aisle they were standing in.

"No wait," Kat said and Jason paused.

Kat looked through her purse and pulled out a small notepad and a pin. She quickly scribbled something down on a sheet of paper in the notepad and tore it out. She handed the slip to Jason.

"Here," Kat said. "Call me when you get the chance. Maybe, we could hang out."

"I'll do that," Jason said with a smile.

They parted ways.

It was about a week before Jason called. Kat was too busy setting in to call him. They set a date for that weekend to meet up.

Kat was excited to be seeing her friend again. She was also nervous. She didn't know why. It was only Jason, but still, she couldn't help the apprehension she felt in meeting with him.

The Saturday of their lunch, Kat spent most of the morning getting ready. She washed and curled her hair and made up her face with just a hint of pink make-up, she chose her best pink shirt and white skirt and with a plain gold necklace, gold bracelet, and diamond stud earring, she was done.

Kat stood in front of her full length mirror and admired her reflection. She had to meet Jason in a few minutes. She had to admit she looked good and hoped she didn't over do it. It wasn't like it was a date or anything. Besides, it wasn't as if she liked Jason in that way. Plus, he was probably still dating Emily.

Kat's mood saddened at the thought and that bugged her. Somewhere, deep down, the former Pink Ranger was harboring feelings for her ex-boyfriend's best friend. She wondered how long had that been there. Before or after she began dating Tommy?

Kat shook her head. She shouldn't be thinking of those things now. She shouldn't have been thinking of them at all. It wasn't her business. Jason was the best friend of her ex. Whether he had a girlfriend or not wasn't important.

Fighting the feeling in her gut that told her that it was important, Kat grabbed her purse and her keys and left her apartment, locking the door behind her.

When Kat arrived at the small outdoor café, she saw that Jason was already t here. He was sitting at a small table for two. He wore a red t-shirt, a tribute to his days as the first Red Ranger, and black jeans. Both fit him well and Kat found herself breathless.

Jason waved her over and Kat cautiously approached and took her seat across her companion.

"Are you ok," Jason asked.

"Huh," Kat said out of it.

Jason smiled.

"Are you ok," he asked again. "You don't seem all there."

Kat nodded and smiled weakly.

"Oh, I'm fine," she said with a nervous laugh.

"Ok," Jason said.

Their waiter approached their table and handed them their menus. Jason and Kat ordered and waited patiently for their food.

"So," Kat began.

"So," Jason mimicked.

"How was your week," Kat asked.

"Busy," Jason answered. "I helped my parents with redecorating the house. A lot of heavy lifting. What about you? How was your week?"

"Also busy," Kat said. "Still trying to get settled in My furniture arrived earlier that expected."

"That's good."

"Yeah," Kat said. "But my boss called me and said something came up and he needed me in that week and not this week."

"That sucks."

"Yeah," Kat sighed. "So, I had to go to work in an unorganized office. I had a lot of files to file, a lot of copies to make and a lot of calls to make."

"That does sound busy," Jason said with a light chuckle.

Jason and Kat made small talk as they continued to wait for their food. When their food came they in silence and then they decided to order dessert. Neither wanted to end their lunch just yet.

"So," Kat began again. "How is Emily?"

"I don't know," Jason answered.

"What do you mean, you don't know," Kat persisted.

"We broke up six months ago," Jason explained. "She moved away and didn't want to do the long distance thing. As a result, we lost touch."

"Oh," Kat said. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be it's not your fault."

"I wished Tommy and I decided to break it off when I moved to Europe," Kat admitted.

"Why," Jason asked.

"He distanced himself from me," Kat explained. "He wasn't writing or calling as often and when he did it was just a friendly chat. No romantic words like separated lovers would write."

"Oh," Jason said. "It was probably because of Kimberly."

"Yeah," Kat said sadly. "I thought so and Tommy told me so. He didn't want me wondering why he no longer wanted to date me. I was ok with it. I also wanted to end our relationship. If we kept on the way we were going, we would have ended up hating each other."

Jason nodded his understanding. He had heard Tommy's part of the story and he had felt for the Pink Zeo Ranger. He was happy to hear she did not think badly of his best friend.

"Let's talk about something more cheerful," he suggested.

"Ok."

From that moment until they finished their desserts, Jason and Kat talked and got to know each other a little bit more.

End of Part Two