Ian took a deep breath as he parked his car in front of his mother's house. It'd been so long since he was last here, that he was actually kind of nervous. He hadn't exactly been in touch with any of his old friends from here this last year and he felt terrible. But he was going to make amends for it by hunting down each friend and apologizing to each of them. He really hoped his apology would be accepted. He didn't want to lose any of his friends and hoped they would forgive him.

He got out of the car and headed up to his house, carrying a box from his trunk. He needed to get his own place sometime, but didn't have enough money right now. He had a job, but unfortunently he lost it. He knew that was another thing he had to do. Finding a job was top priorety. But Ian figured his friends came first so.. getting a job would have to wait.

"Kal! Coffee for the beautiful lady on table six!"

A brown-haired, blue-eyed male turned to look over at his black-haired friend, a reknown playboy, who was currently heating things up with the said beautiful lady on table six. Kalvin didn't care much about his friend's little act of playing around but if he ever got into trouble, he did say not to find comfort with him. That, and he would never hide the man from his women. His women, his problem. He already had one to deal with: his current girlfriend, Rhianne, who only wanted nothing but his attention and that was already enough of a problem.

"You bastard," he started jokingly as he poured the woman a coffee and smiled her way, "It's work time. Perhaps you could just give him your number, miss, and he'll dilly-dally along?" The woman actually blushed when he had smiled her way. The women seem to always do when he didn't even try the least bit to be charming to them.

Kalvin Noin was, in many ways, handsome thanks for his mixed ethnicity. With his said brown hair, blue eyes, lithe body and the way he held himself, it's no wonder he's received quite a number of love letters and confessions back when he was in high school. Now, he was in his second year of college and was specializing in Photography and Arts. It seemed like the more he grew older, the more good-looking he was getting. Whether it's maturity or it's the hormones acting up, he really didn't pay much attention to it. After all, he didn't need to dress up so lavishly to look good.

"Thanks man," the male said as he wrapped his arm around Noin's shoulders and kissed his cheek sloppily. It only made Kalvin laugh and wipe at his cheek with the back of his own hand, "Yeah, well. Anything to get you back working. I can't do this job alone." The little bell hanging on the door rang as a new customer stepped in and Noin went to take care of setting the couple up with a table while his friend went off to continue on with his job happily. He was more happy, though, that he got the girl's number with the help of Noin.

Ian got his things settled in his old room. He looked around his room with curious, bright blue eyes, glad that his room was exactly like he remembered it. He was surprised his mom didnt' change it when he moved out to live with his dad. He figured it was because she wanted to be comfortable when he came back.

He ran a hand through his bright blonde hair and smiled lightly, deciding on going for a walk. He was curious as to how much the town had changed in the time he was gone. He just hoped it hadn't changed too much.

He set off down the street, whistling quietly to himself. He knew where the college was and stopped by there first to sign up. It was better this way, so he was ready to get started in school as soon as he could. He couldn't wait to get started, his major going to be music. He loved playing the piano and he learned how to play guitar his sophmore year of high school.

People didn't really give him a second-glance when he walked by. But why should they? They probably didnt' really know who he was, so it wasn't a big deal. Ian wasn't going to let it bother him.

His stomach growled lightly and he stopped and a local coffee shop that he remembered he used to go to way back when. Of course back then he didnt' drink coffee. He would just hang there with friends. That and he actually enjoyed the smell of coffee. It was relaxing to him somewhat.

The bell hanging on the door rang again and Kalvin moved from the counter to the door. "Welcome to-" he paused and raised his eyebrows a bit in surprise when he'd realized who it was, "Ian?" He was stunned and surprised. He was also a little angry when he remembered that the other hadn't told him he was going to move at all. In fact, he was the last to know in the whole school about it.

"Whoa. Man. You just reappeared out of the blue," he said as he laughed and shook his head, "Welcome home to The Coffee Shop. A table for one, I'm assuming?"

Unlike the other, he wasn't dressed so casually. The male was currently dressed in the coffee shop's uniform. A dark green apron, black slacks and a white dress shirt. His brown hair thinned out at the nape of his neck and a couple of short strands cut in different sizes were falling over his head onto one side and about the sides of his face. Like Ian, though, he hadn't changed much either. He just grew up to be a handsome man was all.

Ian raised an eyebrow slightly when he seen Kalvin. In all honesty, he wasn't expecting to see him here. "Hey." he greeted, a smile on his face. "It's good to see you." And it was. He really was happy to see his old friend again. He just really hoped he wasn't too mad at him for not saying anything when he left. Because he was going to say something... He just forgot.

He nodded his head and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "yeah. Table for one." he said. He found that to be a stupid question, according on how he did come in here by himself. But he shouldn't think that. What if he was required to say that? Great. Now he felt bad about thinking it. He pushed a few strands of hair out of his eyes, only to have them fall right back into place.

Kalvin was, indeed, required to ask that to every customer. Sometimes, he got berated by it. Often times, he'd be asked if he wanted to invite them. Luckily for him, it wasn't thrown to his face with Ian. The male smiled charmingly and he motioned for him to follow him. He led him to an empty booth and he took out a pad and a pen from inside his apron pocket. "You never said anything when you left," he started before he'd sighed, "I'm still pretty caught up with it. I missed you a lot, man."

Lightly punching Ian's arm, he smiled again and tapped his pad. "So, what'll you be having?" In all honesty, he hadn't expected Ian to be back at all. He cut off all ties with him and even didn't send him one letter even though he knew where he lived. He wasn't sure if Ian did that on purpose but he decided not to talk about it here in a public place. There was a time for that and with school coming up, he was sure they'd be having the same subjects if he'd enlisted himself in the same college he did.

Ian dropped his gaze as he he sat down at the table. He was hoping this wasn't going to come up right away. But now that it had, he wanted to just run. But he couldn't always run from his problems. He took a deep breath before raising his gaze so he could look at Kalvin. "I'm really sorry about that... I was going to tell you... It's just that I kept putting it off more and more and the next thing I knew I was being taken to a town like 5 hours from here and it was too late. I'm really, really sorry..."

He ran a hand through his hair again, wanting it to stay out of his eyes. But again, it went right back to where it was and he growled quietly at it before smiling at Kalvin. "I'll just take a iced coffee if you have it." he said, leaning back against his seat. He never really looked at the menu before, but he was sure it saw iced coffee on it before.

"Don't sweat it," he told Ian as he smiled a little, "I was just disappointed is all. But, I'm real glad you're back." And here he thought, he was his best friend. But, don't best friends apologize like Ian had done so and forgive each other, which Kalvin is still considering doing? Once he heard his order, he nodded and smiled charmingly again.

"We do have it." He scribbled it down on the pad and put the pen into his apron pocket. Pulling what looked like a stand of the sorts, he put it by Ian's side. "If you need anything else, just turn this over. The red means you want something and the green as nothing." Tearing the piece of pad he'd scribbled on, he said, "Sit back and relax while I get your order, sir," before he'd went off to put Ian's order on the tab. He went to seat another old couple and chatted with them while he got their orders, too.

Once Ian's iced coffee had come, he added a slice of their cake. "It's on me," he told Ian when he'd put the said drink and the plate of coffee in front of him, "As your welcome home gift." Winking at his best friend and patting his back lightly, he went back to the counter to get the other orders to serve them.

Even though hearing Kalvin say he was glad Ian was back, it didn't feel like he was forgiven for leaving like that. It made this terrible feeling grow in the pit of his stomach. He made sure to take some time later to explain everything to him later. He nodded when the stand thing, not planning on using it.

He sighed lightly when Kal walked off but made sure to put a smile on his face when he came back. He took a sip of his coffee and found it to be good. But when he glanced at the cake, it made the bad feeling in his stomach to come back. How could Kal be so forgiving towards him when he'd been so cold? Even though it looked good, he was sure he wasn't going to be able to eat it.

Kalvin worked on in full-force until his shift had ended. It had ended about an hour after Ian had come into the shop and he disappeared to the back for a bit. He changed out of his uniform to his usual clothes: black shirt and a coat over it, dark blue pants and a pair of sneakers. He, of course, went back out to the shop to head towards Ian's table and join him without even asking for his permission.

"So," he started as he crossed his arms over the table, "You wanna hang out after you finish your food?" Kalvin called onto his buddy in the shop and he grinned at him as he ordered himself a glass of iced capuccino. He got a punch on his arm for not getting the drink himself and he rubbed at his arm as he laughed lightly. "There's this movie I've been dying to see and I'm sure you'll like it, too."

There really was no reason for Ian to be hanging around in the coffee shop for so long. Yet, he was still there when Kalvin finished work. The cake that had been given to him actually did have a few bites taken out of it, despite Ian resisting the urge to eat it. He had tried to resist it, but he was hungry and the cake did look good.

He smiled happily when the offer to see the movie came. "Sure! I would love to." he said. But still, seeing Kal being so nice to him only made Ian feel terrible. Why wasn't he mad? He'd been a complete jerk and he was just acting like nothing was wrong. He wanted to get yelled at and maybe get hit. If that happened, maybe the bad feeling in his stomach would go away. He just didn't like how he was so easily forgiven.

Kalvin smiled brightly when Ian had replied well to his offer and he took the iced cappucino from his workmate. "So," he started, "You want to walk or take a cab?" He had to ask. After all, he wasn't sure if the other was up for walking after he'd been gone for long. Who knew? Maybe Ian had a car of his own, too, or something. That, or he isn't used to walking in the city.

The male sipped on his iced cappucino and whipped out his cell phone to send his girlfriend a text message. He hadn't replied to her message yet and she'd been giving him miss calls since a while ago. The only way to ease her of her anxiousness was to tell her what was going on. He told her about his best friend coming back to town and told her, too, about them hanging out. Tomorrow, he'd reserve his day solely for her considering it was their first month anniversary. He grinned at his best friend and slipped his phone back into his pocket once he was done texting his girlfriend a message. "On the way, too, you should tell me about your experiences, Ian."

Ian thought for a second as he finished up the last bits of his coffee. He waited until Kalvin was done texting whoever until he actually spoke. "We could walk. I don't mind." he said, pulling out his wallet to pay. Plus, if they walked, it would give them a better chance to talk. If they took a cab, they'd have the cab driver there to listen in on their conversation. He smiled lightly as he stood as he nodded. "Yeah. Alright. You should tell me about your experiences too when I'm done with mine." That seemed like a fair trade, right?

Once the other was done paying, he got up from his seat with the drink still in his hand. He grinned at the other's words and nodded. "Works for me," he said as he chuckled, "Come on." The male took the other's arm and put his arm around the back of the other's neck and shoulders. "So, where exactly did you go?" he asked.

The male led them out to the sidewalk and towards the movie house while he tucked his free hand into his pocket. "And how come you never told me, your best friend, about your moving out?"

This was it. Ian expected there to be yelling soon and now that he knew it was coming, he wished they were back in the coffeeshop. He kept his gaze downcast as he shrugged lightly. "..Dunno... I was going to tell you.. But I kept putting if off more and more and the next thing I knew, I was in a car heading out on a five hour drive to my dad's place. I would've texted you or something, but I didn't have a cellphone at that time...... And when I got there, I had to get my things unpacked, get registered for school, look for a job. I just had so much things I needed to do.... I just didn't have time to call..... I really am sorry......" he said, his voice quiet. He braced himself mentally incase Kalvin wanted to start yelling at him.

Kalvin didn't know why but the other bracing himself like that and him explaining it that way made him sigh. "I don't hit people, Ian," he reminded him as he ruffled his best friend's hair, "Just that... it'd have been nice to hear it from my best friend himself than to someone else. I was the last to know about it, too, at school." The male leaned a bit more at Ian and let out a deep sigh. "I still feel bad, y'know." As if to get his revenge on the other, he'd pinched Ian's cheek and made a face.

"And, just what do you mean by 'so much things you needed to do'? Did you get yourself a girlfriend or something?"

Ian made a face when his face was pinched. "I wasn't expecting you to hit me..." he said, shrugging lightly. He sighed lightly and kept his gaze on the ground. "I'm really, truely sorry about not telling you... My dad was going through a rough time, which is exactly why I moved up there in the first place. I got a job easy enough, but I had to work as many hours as I could during the week so I could get paid as much as I could. I had that ontop of piles of homework, it didn't really come across my mind that you didn't know that I was gone.." The next question made him smile. "Yeah. I do. She's really great. I think you'd like her."

Kalvin snickered at the man's first words and that face. When he heard his reason, he gave a little pout and let go of Ian's cheek. "Oh fine," he said, playfully making it seem like he was begrudging, and sighed, "I forgive you." The moment he'd heard those last sentences, though, he was utterly disappointed. "Maaan. Here I was thinking we'd be sharing our firsts. First relationships was part of that." Kalvin stood behind Ian again and pinched the man's cheeks. "Is she your first? 'cause mine's my third."

It was pretty hard when he had to deal with the two break-ups the first time. He supposed he'd gotten too used to Ian around that he'd whine at him whenever he could. Now that he's back, he wasn't sure if he could still do that again. The second wasn't as bad as the first and he doubted the third would be as bad as the first two. Maybe then, he won't have anything to whine about.

"This handsome face of mine's the dream of any woman, really. Sometimes, my guy friends use me to get the numbers of the girls they like but at least... I get something good in exchange. Know what that is, Ian?" There was a sly grin on his lips.

Ian sighed lightly in relief when Kalvin let go of his face the first time. He took a half step away from him just in case he decided to do it again. He was relieved to hear he was forgiven, but deep down, he didnt' feel like he deserved it. He frowned lightly when Kal pinched him again and he pushed the man's hands off his face before nodding. "Yeah. She's my first girlfriend."

He was happy with his choice. Sure. There were lots of girls at the other school who had asked him out, but he declined each and every one of them. He wanted to wait for the right girl to come along. Who knew it was going to be the first friend he made after he moved there. She had been so nice to him, teaching him things he didn't know about the school and even teaching him to play guitar.

Kal's next statement made Ian laugh. "Handsome face? Really now? I don't see it." he said, his voice taking on a playful tone. Ian himself had never really been called handsome. He had more of a... cute face. It was definantly the type of face girls went for. He shook his head slowly when he heard the question. ".... No.. I don't know..." he said.

Kalvin smiled brightly when he'd heard what he'd said. His first girlfriend then... "Tell me all about your firsts," he told him as he slung his arm over the man's shoulders again. He could see the happiness in the man's choice and he was really happy for him. When he'd heard Ian laughing and saying those words, he pouted again. "Man, you're mean." Laughing along with his best friend, he brought up his other hand to rub .

"Free food," the male said, his eyes sparkling with glee, "And more friends and people coming up to me for help. It's a pretty rewarding side job." Kalvin said this with a grin.

Ian raised an eyebrow lightly, not seeming to mind Kalvin's arm on him. "Tell you about my first?... Well... I had my first date a few months ago. We went to a concert..... I had and lost my first job. That wasn't my fault. One of my co-workers hated me for some reason and made up stories about me." He shrugged lightly, like it was no big deal. "I got my first car, which is what I drive now... It kinda broke down shortly after getting to my mom's place." With this, Ian laughed lightly, embarassed. He was quiet for a second, thinking. "I went to my first big party and somehow managed to get myself drunk. I dunno how though.. Some guy must have spiked the drink. My dad beat me with a belt when I got home. I was sore for almost a week after...... I performed onstage for the first time." When Ian said this, a happy smile showed on his face and his eyes showed more life in them. "It was me and some friends. We started a... band, I guess you could call it. We didn't stay in it very long though."

One of the things he hasn't done yet was have his first kiss. Sure, he's kissed his girlfriend plenty of times. But it was always on the cheek or forehead. He always gets nervous and embarassed when he even thinks about kissing her seriously.

Ian ducked out from under Kalvin's arm. "Ok. Enough about me. Why don't you tell me a bit about some of your firsts." he said, getting tired of talking.

Kalvin listened and he felt even more disappointed that he wasn't there to see all Ian's firsts. He didn't think things would turn out this way, that they'd be far away from each other for the time being. He always was idealistic; thinking things would be as they are forever. When Ian had left, though, that was the only time his perspective about 'forever' had abruptly changed. He still cared much about Ian but he didn't see himself as someone important any more in the man's life.

"Do you still talk with your girlfriend?" he asked, looking disappointed when Ian had ducked out from under his arm. He was getting comfortable with the other, too. Tucking his hands into his pockets, he thought about his firsts. "My first girlfriend was a year after you left; first kiss went a few months after that. The first break-up was pretty painful. It was about half a year after that first kiss," he stopped there as he held himself from telling Ian that he was searching for him that time. The male let out a dramatic sigh, "My first failure was after that school year. Got scolded and was grounded for the first time. My part-time job came a year after that." The male kicked some random rock when he saw one and he kicked it when he was nearing it. "I guess nothing much happened with me."

"And you're my first best friend." Looking over at Ian, he gave him a goofish grin before he'd stopped walking for a moment to quicken his pace and kick the rock as hard as he can. It had hit the side of a building and disappeared into an alleyway.

Ian nodded as he listened to Kalvin's list of firsts. He felt bad when he heard about the breakup. If only he was here to help him get through it, like a good friend should. But no. He couldn't even call to see how things were going with his friends. He was such a horrible person and he really wished Kal would get mad and start yelling and hitting him. Just something to make this guilt go away.

He smiled lightly though and he dropped his gaze to the ground, listening to the sound of the rock going across the ground. "You're my first best friend too." he said, his voice quiet. He was silent for a second. "... I still consider us friends.. If you're not too mad at me."

((Sorry my answer isn't very long. ^^"))

[[ It's okay. :3 I didn't give you much to reply to. XD ]]

Kalvin watched Ian for a second or two before he'd moved to walk by his side and sling his arm again around the other's shoulders. He pulled him in for a noogie as his hand messed up Ian's hair. "Of course we're friends!" he said as he smiled brightly, "It'll take a while for us to catch up but I hope you become my best friend again. I've never had another one since you left." He only let go of him when a group of jocks had passed by them. He nudged Ian a bit. "The guy at the center, he was my girlfriend's ex-boyfriend. He's still chasing after her, though. I'm not sure why."

Obviously, he was quite aware that he was silently mentioning about his girlfriend thinking of him as a rebound boyfriend of the sorts. Not that he minded. Just as long as he made her happy; that was about it. "So, about the movie... do you want to buy the tickets and I buy the popcorn or we share the budget like old times?

Ian sighed when he was released and fixed his hair the best he could. A small frown formed on his face though. Why hadn't Kalvin made a different best friend? He would have assumed he would have found someone in the time Ian was gone. He had found new friends... He shook his head slowly. He didn't want to think about this. And the fact that what Kal said made him sound like the rebound guy didn't make him feel any better.

He smiled though and nodded enthusiastcially. "Yeah. I don't mind splitting the budget. It sounds great!" he exclaimed. He didn't care what movie it was they were seeing. He just really glad they were going to start hanging out again. He hoped he would one day be able to feel like he deserved being called Kalvin's best friend again.