ELIAS

I stand next to Lu as she knocks on the door.

Almost as soon as she knocks, the door swings open, and there stands the familiar redhead, a small smile on her face. Behind her stood a tall dude, who I am guessing is her husband. They both invite us inside, and I suddenly regret coming.

This is going to be so awkward.

I try to console myself.

I've got to meet her friends sometime.

Hiding my smile, I shut the door behind me. Lu is always hugging the redhead, while high fiving the husband. They all turn to me, and Lu steps toward me.

"This is my boss, Eli-Jude. Jude. This is Franny and Jared," Lu introduces us.

"Elias," I say, using my name. Lu smiles.

Jared shakes my head. "Nice to meet you."

Franny smiles, extending her hand to me as well. "You were at the hospital, right?" She asks, and I see a spark of curiosity behind her eyes. I hear the hidden question she has.

I nod. "I was. I was having dinner with Lu's mom, when her dad showed up. We both took her to the hospital."

"Ooh, you were there for that," Jared comments, making a face.

I nod. "Yeah, I was." I look at Lu, who doesn't look like she is enjoying the choice for our first subject.

"Where's Jeanie?" Lu asks.

Fran sighs. "I don't know. She said she was coming, and she's never late, so I'm not sure what happened to her." She walks into the kitchen and we all follow. "Actually, ever since her trip, I haven't seen her. She got back yesterday, and I tried calling and texting her and she never answered me. I even stopped by her house, and she wouldn't let me in. Or she was at work, I don't know."

Trip?

Lu doesn't ask so I don't either.

"I'm sure she'll come," Jared speaks, placing his hands on Franny's shoulders. I can't help but smile as I look at them, almost wondering why I thought this was going to be awkward. Lu has nice friends.

And welcoming friends.

The food also looks pretty delicious, so even if this doesn't go well, at least I got to eat some good lunch before heading back to work.

Plus, I need to know who Lu's friends are. If we are ever going to work out, this is one of many steps that need to be taken.

"Well, since Jeanie may or may not be coming, we can start the eating. I know you two are on a time limit, so we can just eat. Jeanie won't mind," Franny says, handing out plates to Lu and I. We take them.

"Time limit?" Jared asks.

"Work," Lu and I say at the same time.

He nods.

Jared and Franny joined us once we got our food. They sit down across from us at the table and we all dig in, eating in silence. I don't realize how hungry I really am until I take the first bite into my sub. Then everything seems to be inhaled as I finish my food first.

Lu elbows me in the side, shaking her head at me.

I smile and shrug.

She still hasn't finished half her sub yet, while I'm on my second one.

I smile, chomping down.

Jared looks between us. "So, how long have you worked for Elias, Lucy?"

Lu holds up one finger, then swallows her food. "A few months," she replies, wiping her mouth with her napkin. I look between them, while Franny just smiles, like she knows something nobody else does.

"Do you like it there? Is Elias a good boss?" He asks the last question with one hand covering his mouth from my point of view as if I wouldn't hear him. I smile, watching Lu and listening for her answer.

She does the same thing, leaning across the table, her one hand covering her mouth from my sight, "He's okay, really. He tries though. But I think he's thinking of handing over ownership to me since I'm such a great secretary." Lu smiles at me as she retakes her seat, eating her sub as if nothing happened.

Jared grins."You'd make an excellent boss. Weren't you part CEO at your last job?"

Lu nods. "I was."

"What happened?" Jared asks, and Franny elbows her husband's side, making him jerk in surprise. "Ow!"

"I quit," Lu speaks quietly, her voice barely audible. "It happened about a year ago," she says, meeting Jared's eyes, speaking an unspoken message.

"Ah." He nods, getting it.

Franny rolls her eyes and puts her face in her hands.

I smile, even though I have no clue what is going on.

Lu sighs.

Jared just looks confused now as he looks at his wife.

"I got it," he says, then looks at me. "He doesn't, right?"

Franny shakes her head. "I married an idiot," she says, standing. She kisses the top husband's head as she walks away from the table to get more food.

Jared looks offended. "I was just wondering."

Lu smiles, turning to me. "They're nice sometimes."

I nod. "Of course they are."

A knock on the door turns all our attention away from the earlier conversation. Jared stands, but Franny waves him down. "I'm already up, I'll get it. It's probably Jeanie."

Jared resumes his seat.

The door opens.

I chomp down on another bite while Lu shakes her head at me. Then she looks at the door and I follow her gaze.

Franny has let in another tall dude, blonde and broad shouldered who immediately catches Lu's attention. I look between them as they both look at each other and I get this sickening feeling that they know each other or did know each other.

"Hey, Travis man, you're back." Jared stands and shakes the man's hand, then goes in for a hug. They are both smiling when they pull away, but both of the women are silent. I look at Franny and see she is looking at Lu, who still hasn't moved from her seat.

And I now know the reason why.

Lu swallows.

Franny places her hand on Travis' shoulder. "Travis, this is Elias, Lucy's boss. I told Lucy to bring him along," she introduces us, and I am glad for the little reason for why I am really here.

I mean, I wanted him to think I am Lu's boyfriend. Fran didn't exactly word it like that.

"Nice to meet you." Travis shakes my hand as I stand and I try to match his grip as we shake. I let my hand drop to my side, and want to resume my seat, but don't.

We all turn to Lu, who still hasn't moved or said anything.

Travis looks to Lu, and I feel a surge of jealousy invade my body.

"Hi, Lucy," he greets.

Lu's bottom lip trembles. "Hi," her voice is shaky and quiet. She makes no move to stand or shake his hand or whatever, but her eyes never leave him. It is as if everyone else in the room is invisible, and she only has eyes for Travis.

I look at Travis from top to bottom.

I'm competing with this guy.

I swallow. I can see why I am losing.

"Where's Jeanie?" Travis asks, turning to Franny. "I thought you said she would be here," he says.

Franny nods. "Yeah, well, she was supposed to come here. I don't know where she is. She's running late, I guess. I told her it was mandatory to come, since she's been ignoring all of my calls and texts, and I hadn't heard anything from you or her, so I was so out of the loop."

Travis sighs, placing his hand on his head. "She wasn't there when I got there. She had already left. I got back in the middle of the night, so I just slept, but I guess I conked out good, I just woke up twenty minutes ago. I saw your text and headed on over."

Lu stands, her chair scraping the ground. "She wasn't there?" She asks, just as confused as I am, and I am glad I am not the only one out of the loop.

Travis nods. "I went to go get Jeanie, but she wasn't there."

I frown. What?

That's not specific.

Franny steps in, turning more to Lu than me. I have a feeling they would rather me not know these details, but they make no move to tell me that. "Lucy, Jeanie went to go get Travis, remember?" Lu nods, and Franny continues, "But Travis was gone, because he was here, looking for Jeanie. So he went back to go get here, but she already got back here by that time, so then he just came right back. It's been a journey, to say the least."

I'll say.

Jared and Franny smile at each other.

"But." Franny sighs. "When Jeanie got back, she never texted or called, or told me anything, so I wasn't sure what happened."

Travis sighs. "I'm sure she hates me right now. I don't know what to think."

Franny laughs. "Well, I'm hoping that gets cleared up soon so y'all can just get married again. I'm sure she'll be over here soon."

I peek at Lu and see she is now looking at the ground. Her hands are behind her back, tightly clasped together, while her gaze is fixated on her shoes.

This must kill her, this conversation.

I look at Travis, whose gaze finally rests on Lucy. He looks between us and sighs. I can tell he wants to speak with Lu, but this may not be the right time or place for this to happen. I want it to happen though, wanting this to get over with.

I didn't think I'd be meeting Lu's love today, so that just set the mood.

It's a very bad mood.

She's still very much in love.

Lu lifts her face, looks at Travis, and speaks, "Can I speak to you?" She asks quietly, and he nods immediately. That can't be a good sign. "Privately?"

Everyone nods.

There's another knock on the door.

Everybody freezes.

Travis doesn't seem like he heard, but takes a step toward Lu, who is actually looking at the door like the rest of us.

Franny opens the door and squeals.

"Hey, Franny." Jeanie walks in the door and hugs her friend as tightly as she possibly can, not pulling away for a few more seconds. "I'm sorry I didn't call you back, and I'm sorry I didn't come earlier. I just didn't think I could face you all with my news." Jeanie looks down.

Travis is turned all the way around. I can't see his face, but I can only imagine the expression on his face right now.

Probably looking like a man in love.

Franny can't stop smiling.

Jeanie looks confused. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" She asks. Franny nods to Travis, and Jeanie follows her gaze, still looking confused. She sees me first, then Lu, then finally her gaze rests on one man.

Travis.

Her eyes immediately fill up with tears as she places a hand over her mouth. She doesn't scream or wail, but sinks to the ground in a heap, tears streaming down her face as if she really can't believe Travis is here.

From what I heard, she must have got pretty sad news when she went there and Travis wasn't there.

Travis, almost instantly, walks toward Jeanie with steady determination. Franny moves away from Jeanie and comes to stand next to her husband, who is already watching with a huge grin on his face.

I watch as Travis wraps his arms around Jeanie, pulling her close to them. I can hear Jeanie's sobs, which seem to echo from her. They are quiet, but dramatic, and I can see the tears that can't stop flowing down her cheeks. I saw her when she first walked in and she looked as if she got no sleep the night before, and the more I look, I can see the dark bags under her eyes.

No wonder she broke down.

Jeanie finally wraps her arms around Travis' neck, pulling them closer together.

Lu turns away from them, and looks behind me, probably at nothing, but I follow her gaze, and see she is staring at the wall. I can see tears in her eyes, and nothing hurts me more than to see that.

"Are you okay?" I whisper the question.

She shakes her head.

I don't know why I asked, she's obviously not okay.

She looks as if someone just took her heart and smashed it into a million pieces and then tried to give it back to her, as if it was alright.

Lu wipes away a tear.

I place my arms around her shoulders, not sure what else to do. I feel someone tap my shoulder, and I turn and see Franny. I let go of Lu, turning to her.

"We're gonna go sneak outside. Come with us. They need to be alone," Franny whispers, and I look at Jared and he's already halfway across the kitchen. I grab Lu's wrist, and pull her along as I follow the couple around Jeanie and Travis to the outside door.

I look back at the couple on the floor.

Even though this hurts Lu, I am happy for them,

They look as if they haven't had happiness in a very long time.

JEANIE

I don't know what to think.

All I can feel are the tears that are wetting my cheeks and strong and steady arms around me that can't possibly belong to the man I love. I keep trying to come to the fact that he is here, right in front of me, but I can't wrap my mind around.

After two years... two long years, is he really here? Is he really in love with me? Are we really going to make it?

I pull away from him, resting my hand on his chest, clutching his shirt as if he might disappear from my line of sight. I stare into his eyes, and smile to myself. Even though I can barely see through all the tears, this is really Travis. I would know his eyes anywhere, and right now they are staring back at me, right here as we sit on the floor in Franny's kitchen.

I touch his beard with my fingertips, taking in every piece of his face, examining what the past year has done to him, but see nothing I haven't seen before. This is the same man. After one year, he's still the same man.

Nothing makes me happier.

"You're here," I finally say, wiping away my tears. Travis' hands move from my waist, to my face, his thumbs helping me wipe the tears. I can see better as I peer into his eyes again, still reminding myself that I am not dreaming.

I had a similar dream last night during my very few hours of sleep. I dreamt I was peering into Travis' eyes, only for them to be ripping away from me. It kept happening, every time I would go back to sleep, and every time they would be snatched away from me. So as I am here now, I am afraid they will disappear.

"How are you?" He asks, stroking my cheek.

I shrug. "I've been better," I say through my clogged throat from all my tears, trying to clear it. "I missed you," I whisper, fingering his lips.

Immediately, he kisses me. I hold on tight to his arms, kissing him back with all the force I can muster. I don't taste him, but everything I missed when I was without him. All the memories, all the thoughts, all the dreams that were all about him, I put into this kiss, wanting to feel as if I never lost any time without him.

Travis cups my face with his hands, pulling away from our kiss, but I'm not finished, I'm not ready to be done, so I place my lips on his as soon as he pulls away, pulling myself to him, surrendering completely to him.

His hands move through my hair in a familiar way, and I can't help but smile as he kisses back. He moves from my mouth to my cheek, my jaw, my neck. He ends with a forehead kiss and pulls back.

"That's how much I missed you," he speaks through pants.

I smile, staring into his eyes. "Same."

He chuckles, grabbing my hands and squeezing them.

We sit in silence.

I swallow, realizing there still are words that need to be said. "Travis... I'm sorry," I say, and he frowns. "I'm so sorry I pushed you away. We wouldn't even need to be having this reunion if I hadn't been so stupid and sent you away. It's all my fault," my voice breaks at the end, and another tear falls down my cheek.

Travis says nothing, sensing I have more to say.

"I was looking for you, for months. I didn't think I would find you. John... he's in prison, he was the whole reason I got shot and he sent you those letters, it was all him. And I can't believe I blamed you... and Lucy. I'm selfish, and stupid, and I'm sorry."

He smiles, out of all of the expressions he could have made, he smiles.

"Jeanie, I accept your apology. But it isn't needed. You were right, when you accused me. Yes, you were wrong, but I understand. And I'm sorry I abandoned you when you got shot, and left you. I thought about it everyday, feeling bad I left you." He sighs.

I play with his fingers as he continues.

"I saw John on the TV a few days ago. I saw that he was in prison for what happened, and realized that this could have been over a lot sooner if I wasn't so invested in keeping myself alone, away from everyone to basically mourn you. I'm sorry for that too. But as soon as I saw it, I packed my bags and left."

I smile, clutching his fingers tightly.

"That was the day I think Jared found you."

He grins. "Yeah, my credit card."

I nod. "Yeah."

Travis places his hands in his coat pocket. I watch as he pulls out a gold band and grabs my left hand. He looks me in the eyes,

"Jeanie, will you marry me again?" He asks.

I smile, nodding. "Yeah, I'll marry you again," I whisper, then pull my wedding ring off my left hand ring finger to let him put the gold band on it. It actually matches my wedding ring, so I slide my other ring on too, the two rings sitting next to each other.

I hold them up to show Travis.

"Perfect," I say, and he grins.

"Yeah," he says, grabbing my hand and bringing it to his chest. Then he looks at his left hand, swallows, and shows me his empty hand. "I don't know where mine went."

I shrug. "I can get you one," I say, grabbing his hand. "We'll just pretend for now."

He smiles. "I love you, Jeanie," he says with such conviction.

I kiss him, and pull away. "And I love you, Travis."

He kisses me, and I wrap my arms around his neck tightly, holding onto him. I pull away from the kiss and nestle my head in his neck, snuggling next to him as he wraps his arms around my waist.

We stand and pull apart.

"Where'd they go?" I ask, and he smiles.

"They gave us some alone time," he whispers, wagging his eyebrows at me.

I give him a saucy look. "Well, well. I guess we should go get them, huh?"

He pulls me close. "I guess."

I hug him.

"I have to speak with Lucy." His chest rumbles as he tells me. I look up at him.

"Okay. Should I go get her?"

He nods. "I'll come with you. Might as well tell them the good news," he says and we have already started to walk to the outside door. I see them all sitting down in the yard.

We open the door and they all stand.

Lucy stays sitting.

I look at Franny who is grinning at me.

Jared gives me a wink.

Travis shrugs.

I hold up my left hand.