Beep, beep, beep

Grace jerked awake and hit the "stop" button on her phone. She glanced at the time and saw that she had an hour to get ready before meeting her parents and brother at Trina's Cafe. She yawned and stretched her long legs out before sighing and sinking back into the mattress.

She was tired but she also knew that she was procrastinating. She and Amelia had gone through two and a half bottles of Sav last night. It would have been three if Liam hadn't cut them off, reminding Amelia that she had an appointment at their wedding venue at 9am the next morning. They had jeered at him good naturedly and called him a spoil sport but it was probably a good idea that he was the sensible one in the group. Lord knows the last thing she needed today was a hangover.

Grace was staying at Amelia and Liam's as it was just easier to get together to plan the final details of the wedding, bridal shower, bachelorette - yes, she was having both - rehearsal dinner and everything that came in between. She had never been a bridesmaid before, let alone the head bridesmaid so she was just going to make herself as available and accommodating as possible to the frazzled bride-to-be.

As she snuggled further into the blankets she realised that this was the first time since she had left Langley that she had gotten a proper break. She had jumped straight into her coursework for Chemical Biology at Berkeley. Just because she had gotten excellent grades at high school didn't mean that she had to remain complacent. College work was at a whole other level. It was challenging, frustrating and tiring. And Grace loved it. She thrived off challenges and the adrenaline of studying something that she was so passionate about. If something didn't click with her or she didn't understand a certain concept, she worked tirelessly until she could not only comprehend it, but could teach it to other students.

She also worked part time at a coffee shop as UC Berkeley only gave full ride scholarships to high performing athletes. Something she was very bitter about reading. But nethertheless, she was still in a better position than some of her fellow students who left college with a massive amount of debt. She was lucky to not only have a partial scholarship and a part time job, but her parents also helped subsidise some of her schooling costs. Once they realised how intelligent their young daughter was, they wasted no time saving up to what they knew would be a very pricey education. It was always a running joke in her family about which side of the parental lineage her "smarts'', as they called it, came from.

In her junior year, she managed to score a coveted position doing research for her chemistry professor. With Professor Hannover's stellar reputation and recommendation in hand, she moved seamlessly into a junior research position at an up and coming biotechnology company that was already making waves in the pharmaceutical world.

Going from high school, to college, to full time work was causing her to burn out a little so when she had received the ear piercing phone call from Amelia that Liam had "fucking finally proposed", she immediately put her leave application in.

Her bosses were so thrilled with her work thus far and relieved that she was finally making use of her vacation leave, that there was no hesitation in approving her six weeks off.

Grace checked her phone again and leaped out of bed. She had already wasted nearly half an hour daydreaming. Luckily, like most small towns, Trina's Cafe was only a short walk away.

After a quick shower, Grace ran her fingers through her dark brown hair. It was time for a trim, she thought. Her tresses fell way past her shoulders now. She usually kept it shoulder length as she worked a lot in the lab and didn't need her hair falling into her face constantly during the day.

Nude, she stood there while she applied a little light makeup. She had gotten rid of her bangs and no longer hid behind them. Her hair used to be her shield but she had long since grown out of her adolescent awkwardness. She had her mother's high cheekbones, her father's straight nose and bright blue eyes. She had a slim waist and curvy hips that no amount of yoga would ever reduce down. But the upside was, it had given her nicely toned arms and legs. Her boobs were decent sized but could be bigger. But weren't we all critical of our bodies? She was sure that even Adriana Lima had some facial or body features that she disliked.

She quickly pulled on a pair of denim shorts that showed off her shapely legs and a plain white t-shirt. After a quick spritz of her favourite body mist and a swipe of lip gloss she was ready. She slipped her feet into a pair of strappy black sandals that were dressy but casual and popped her phone into her back pocket. She didn't need a bag just for a quick bite with her family.

After grabbing the spare key off the hallway table she quickly locked up and walked the short distance to Trina's. It was a stifling hot day today. Not surprising since Amelia and Liam had chosen to have their wedding in June. They wanted to line it up with the school summer break since Amelia was a second grade teacher. She was already starting to sweat a bit but luckily the walk to the centre of town was lined with Dogwood trees so she purposely walked underneath their cool shade.

Trina's was more of a diner than a cafe but Trina Zhou, the longtime owner, thought that "cafe" sounded classier than "diner."

Grace didn't have an opinion either way. She just knew that she craved Trina's special Big Breakfast, served all day. Sausages, bacon, eggs, tomato, mushrooms, hashbrowns and toast. She always had a cold ice tea to go with it. Her mouth was salivating just thinking about it. If she missed anything from Langley, other than Amelia and her family, it would definitely be Trina's Big Breakfast.

As she neared the red bricked cafe, she took a look around the familiar surroundings. As much as she disliked her town, she did have to say that it was one of the prettiest towns she had ever come across. Old fashioned lamps lined the streets and fairy lights zig zagged across the street. The town committee had put them up one Christmas when she was twelve and the townsfolk had commented on it so much that they had kept them up ever since. At night, they lit up Main Street and were mighty pretty, if he did say so herself.

Flower pots and plants also lined the sidewalks and she had never seen them look dull or lifeless. The various shops and eateries always looked freshly painted, their signs bright, big and welcoming.

She felt a pang of pride and patriotism.. Is that the word you would use when you are town-proud? It was just a pity that some of the townsfolk brought down the star rating.

Grace pulled the door to Trina's open, the little bell ringing on the door. She sighed in appreciation at the blast of cool air and quickly scanned the room for a spare booth. Her parents had already texted her that they were running a few minutes late.

After spotting a spare booth at the far corner of the cafe, Grace made her way down, her thoughts preoccupied on whether she would get scrambled or poached eggs with her meal.

Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a familiar dark head poke up and stare at her as she passed.

No, no, no.

It can't be!

Please, please, please do not come to me, she prayed.

But as she sat down, her back to the crowd, she felt his shadow approach and her heart sank.

Harrison fucking O'Connor.

This wasn't the first time she had bumped into him. She had only seen him once before since she had left Langley. And that was awkward as fuck.

After successfully getting her family to visit her for Christmas two holidays in a row, her family demanded that she come back to Langley for a cousin's wedding. It was during her school break so she really had no excuse. She was only staying for a weekend before slinking back to California as fast as her plane could take her.

As she drove her hired car into the familiar outskirts of Langley, her mother had called her in a panic. She had run out of milk and had guests around who she did not want to leave alone. Could she please run to the store since she was almost in town and pick up a couple of bottles? I mean, she could hardly say no.

The drive down was hot so she only had a pair of yoga pants on and a cropped top after shedding her comfy hoodie during the drive. She couldn't be bothered scrambling through her bag in the trunk to find it again so she grabbed a LA Lakers cap, a present from a college dalliance that had fizzled out, and plopped it on top of her dark head. She looked a little different than she had in high school. High school Grace would not dare wear a crop top and pants that showed off her figure. But college Grace was another story.

In saying that, that didn't mean that she actually wanted to see or talk to anyone.

She had successfully managed to make her way to the milk aisle without anyone spotting her. It wasn't until she got a text from her mother to also bring home some cheese and crackers did her ruse get rumbled.

As she stood there reading what the difference was between Camabert and Brie, she felt a prickle at the back of her neck. An awareness of sorts.

She turned to her right and startled at the sight of Harrison O'Connor. He was standing at the edge of the aisle, a look of shock on his face as he stared at her.

He was so still that she wondered if he was suffering from some sort of brain aneurysm. The longer he stood there, the more uncomfortable she was feeling. And considering that she was already feeling fucking uneasy since entering the bright lights of Langely, that was saying a lot.

"Gra - Grace." he stuttered.

He walked slowly towards her, his brown eyes sliding over her figure in appreciation.

Her eyes darted to the side, as if trying to spot an escape route.

Harrison noticed her apprehension and slowed down, holding his hands up as if in defense.

"I come in peace," he tried to joke.

One look at her lovely face was enough to tell him that his joke fell flat.

"How are you? Are you in town long? I saw your Mom yesterday at Trina's. She told me you were coming for the weekend. Shit, sorry." Harrison paused, "I'm rambling." he gave a nervous chuckle.

Grace arched her brow in surprise. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought that he was nervous because of her. But that wasn't possible. Harrison was never shy in telling her how he felt.

As she studied his features, she was disappointed to notice that he was not only still handsome, but even more good looking than when he was a teenager.

His features were more grown up, a slight stubble on his strong jaw and chin. His eyes were no longer cold and mocking but warm and inviting. His body had filled out as well, if possible. His shoulders were more broad and his arms defined and muscular.

Damnit.. She was hoping he would be balding with a slight beer pouch. But considering that he decided to stay in Langley and work on his father's dairy farm, it was no surprise that he kept in shape.

At Grace's silence, Harrison cleared his throat.

"Grace, I just wanted to tell you, err, that is, apologise to you. Um, you know, I-"

Okay she heard enough.

"It was really...." she paused, "... something to see you, Harrison. I hope you are well." She formally replied. She went to walk around him but he stepped in her path to block her.

"Hey!" she snapped, her blue eyes flashing in anger.

"We aren't in high school anymore. You cannot block my path." She scolded.

A red flush grew on Harrison's defined cheekbones. "Shit, sorry, Grace," he hastily interjected. "I didn't mean to do that." he held his hands up again. "I just-" his gaze searched her face before his shoulders slumped.

"I won't take up more of your time." he glanced up hopefully. "Is it too much to ask to see you at some point while you're home? Just to chat." At the look of incredulity on her face he sighed and nodded.

"I'm sorry, Grace." The way he said it made her think that he was apologising for interrupting her day but she knew that he was referring to so much more than that.

She nodded stiffly before moving past him.

"Hey, Grace?"

She sighed before turning back wordlessly.

"Are you happy?"

She jolted in surprise at the question. Why was he asking her that? Why did he care?

"I am," she confidently replied. "I love California, I love college life, I'm on track to possibly work for my professor and have a few jobs lined up working for a biotech or pharmaceutical company." she shrugged, "I'm certainly happier than i have been in years. No little shits to try and bring me down." Okay, that last part was low but fuck it, she was beyond caring. She just wanted this awkward and weird encounter to be over.

Harrison blushed and cleared his throat, staring at the floor.

"Errr.. are you happy?" There, that sounded like she somewhat gave a shit about his life, even though she didn't.

Harrison met her stare head on. His gaze caused a spark in her body that she did not want to examine.

"No."

Grace jolted back from that strange trip down memory lane. She wondered for months afterwards why Harrison wasn't happy, why he was suddenly so weirdly nice to her. After examining each scenario over and over in her head she scolded herself for giving a shit. She hated Harrison, weird new personality included. She wasn't going to waste anymore time worrying about his happiness.

"Grace?"

She jumped and glanced up, meeting Harrison's warm gaze.

"Hi," he smiled.

God damn why did he have to be so handsome still?

She was about to reply with a snarky remark when she remembered her promise to Amelia. Like a flashback in a cheesy eighties movie she recalled promising to be cordial and open minded. Damn her tipsy self! Sure it was easy to promise your bestie the world, but seeing him face to face while sober, it was a different story.

"Hey there," Hey there? Could she not come up with something better than that? She cleared her throat and tried again. "I heard we were roped into head bridegroom duties?" Okay, a little better.

Harrison gave a deep chuckle. "Yeah, I'm looking forward to the bachelor party myself."

"I bet," she said sarcastically under her breath. He was probably going to hire a bunch of strippers and go home with one of them.

Harrison's smile dimmed. "Were just going to throw some axes down at Tyler's Park and then head to O'Riley's."

"Cool." she replied. She grabbed her menu and pretended to peruse the options even though she knew down to a tee what she was getting.

"Big Breakfast again?" Harrison asked.

"Huh?" she glanced up at him.

He shifted on his feet and gestured to her menu.

"You always pretend to read the menu and then get your usual - Big Breakfast with poached eggs and iced tea."

She blinked in surprise. When did he ever see her eating that? She couldn't recall a time she ate in this cafe with him. She just remembered him and his lackeys cackling in the corner while she tried to make herself invisible.

"I don't always get that," she stiffly replied. "Sometimes I get scrambled eggs instead of poached."

Harrison laughed in delight. "Still the same sarcastic Grace I know and-" he stopped abruptly once he realised what he was about to say.

"You don't know me, Harrison. Let's not pretend here, shall we?" she said quietly.

Harrison nodded solemnly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hey you're coming to the reunion, right?" He suddenly changed the subject.

"It's the last thing on my mind and certainly the last thing I care about. But," she sighed, "Amelia really wants me to go so I promised to show my face for at least thirty minutes before hopscotching home."

"Oh," Harrison paused. "I was under the impression-" he stopped.

"Under the impression, what?" she pressed.

He pursed his lips together in thought. "Nothing," he smiled.

She glanced around the cafe and peered outside. Where were her parents and Teddy?

"Hey, look," he started, "do you want to get together to discuss the wedding?"

She scrunched her face up as she glanced at him. She knew it was rude but she was genuinely taken aback. "Why?"

"Ah.. well you know how Amelia is-"

"I do know how she is. I've been best friends with her since we were nine. You pretended she never existed all her high school life. Do you know how Amelia is?"

Harrison's eyes hardened. "Look, I get that you don't like me. Believe me, I didn't like me either. Back then was back then. This is now. I'm not the same guy I was. I'm trying to tell you - show you - the new me. The me I have been since I left highschool."

"No offence, Harrison, but i don't care to know the "new you" now. I am only here to help Ameila and Liam with their wedding. I promised Amelia that I will be cordial to you and polite but nothing else. There is no reason for us to meet up to discuss the wedding. What you do with Liam is your business and what I do with Amelia is mine. Okay?"

Before Harrison could respond the familiar twang of her mother's voice broke through.

"Oh Harrison!" she watched in shock as her mother ambled swiftly down the aisle, her familiar face lit up in a wide inviting smile. She was shell shocked as she witnessed her petite Mom enveloped her nemesis in a warm hug. Her father, his weathered yet still handsome face also opened in a smile before he followed suit with a quick handshake. Her brother, Teddy, did some weird side hug fist bump thing.

"My baby!" Her Mom exclaimed as she realised that her youngest child was currently seething in the booth.

"Nice of you to notice me," she muttered sarcastically as she watched her father and brother engage in football talk with Harrison. What was she, chopped liver? And when did her family become so chummy with Mr Friendly?

Her mother giggled as if she was joking before sliding in beside her, clasping her cheeks in her hands and kissing her on both smooth surfaces. "I've missed you so much!" she exclaimed. A sense of guilt flowed through Grace when she noticed the tears welling up in her mother's green eyes.

Her parents were so busy running their general store and her brother had zero interest in travelling so it was hard to find time beyond their weekly Skype calls to narrow a free moment to meet up in person. Coupled with the fact that she would rather walk through hot coals than visit Langley for pleasure, it was a wonder they saw each other at all.

She could use college and work as an excuse. And really, for a while, it was a justified one. But there was no excuse now that she was settled into the workforce. There was no way her parents and brother would ever leave Langley despite her sending them links to real estate in San Francisco on a monthly basis.

But even if they did move, Ameila and Liam were still here. Pretty soon they would be starting a family and she did not want to miss her best friend's attempts to navigate the intricacies of parenthood.

Her brother as well had a long term girlfriend who he had confided that he was going to propose to soon. They would then start their own family and she was determined to be a part of her nieces and nephews lives.

"Sweetheart" Her handsome father leaned across the table to plant a kiss on her forehead. "I am so proud of you," he whispered.