"Mona, no. This isn't happening." He stared at me with a lopsided grin on his face. He walked over slowly, and gently touched my cheek. "Mona...You look amazing. I didn't think it was possible for you to become more beautiful, but I guess it was." He ran his fingers softly all around my face, tracing my lips and eyes with his fingertips. It felt amazing, having him near me again, and even though I was with Sam, I couldn't help notice how much more handsome Vic was, with his long brown hair, and strong arms, which were clearly visible due to the shirt he was wearing. He laughed softly and said, "I forgot how stunning your eyes were... I tried so hard to remember, and I just couldn't bring them up. It killed me..." I grabbed his face between my hands, looking into his eyes. God, his eyes were amazing. "I missed you, Vic. How have you been? How's life been treating you? Tell me all about it." He smiled, and said, "It's been amazing... After you left, I got a band together, but that one didn't last very long." He chuckled and continued. "After that, I met Jaime and Tony, who you met, and we worked our asses off. And it was all worth it! I mean, look where I am, the bands released 3 albums, and people have liked them, and its been just..." He looked at my wrist, and gasped. He touched my bracelet, the one he gave me so long ago, and looked at me. "You... You still have it." I gave him a small smile, and softly said, "I wore it every single day we were apart, Vic. I never let anyone touch it." He smiled, and he looked so happy, and my heart was pounding. I felt like we were seventeen again, laying in his room, just talking about life. He climbed onto the bed next to me, and sat in front of me. "My beautiful doll, its been too long." He whispered. He leaned towards me, and gently kissed me. I felt like there was a million butterflies in my stomach, and I ran my fingers through his hair. He had his hands on my waist, holding me tight, and everything felt perfect. His hands on me, my hands in his hair, his lips on mine, my li- Sam. Sam filled my head, and I abruptly pulled back. "Vic, I'm so sorry... I can't do this. Last year, I met someone. I'm with him now." He tugged on my bracelet, and looked at me, his eyes full of sadness. "But the bracelet..." I put a hand on his knee and said, "I do still love you Vic, but not like this. But I would love to be with you in your life again. I missed you Vic, and I want you in my life again. Friends?" It killed me to say those words, but I had to. He looked down, then looked back at me. His eyes were a darker brown now, and he forced a smile, and softly said, "Yeah, friends. That sounds great." We sat in the room almost all night, just talking about how our lives had been since I left. "I was heartbroken after you left, and I wouldn't even look at another girl for almost a year. Then I met someone named Cara." He chuckled lightly, and continued. "I was head over heels for her, but Karina warned me that she was bad news. I ignored her, and we stopped talking for a while because of Cara. But I later found out that she was cheating on me, and I broke up with her. I mean, why waste your time on someone like that, right?" I softly laughed and quietly said, "Right." I didn't want him to find out that I was still with Sam, even after he cheated on me. Sam swore up and down that he loved me and only me, and that it would never happen again. I believed him, but I knew I should have left him when that happened. I was afraid Vic would think I was weak for staying with him. "After that, I started working on the second album, and people loved it. They didn't know half of it was about Cara... And that it was also about you." I smiled at him, and he smiled back. But it wasn't the smile I remembered; it was more serious, and it showed that he had been hurt a lot before. He was a lot more mature, and I knew there was much more to the stories than he told me. He lightly punched my shoulder and said, "What about you Karina? What's new in your life? Tell me all about Sam." I knew he was being friendly, but I heard how bitterly he said Sam's name. I didn't want to talk about Sam, though. I wanted to hear more about Vic, about his life, because I just wanted to hear his voice. His voice was so soothing, and I never wanted him to stop talking. "Um, well Sam and I met about 2 years ago. We were at a party, and I was sitting in a corner, waiting for my friend to finish saying her goodbyes." He laughed, and said, "I can just imagine you sitting there, with an adorable little pout. I remember how much you hated parties." I looked at him, amazed. He remembered little details like that, and I couldn't believe it. "Yea, I was miserable. Then Sam walked over, and he used a cheesy pick up line. I don't remember what it was, but it made me laugh so much. We started talking, and six months later we started dating. We've had our ups and downs, but I can't help but love him." I smiled slightly, because I really did love Sam. He turned his head and said, "What kind of 'downs' did you guys have?" I looked up, and thought "how exactly do I avoid the question without making it obvious?" But luckily, at that moment was when Jaime and Karina walked into the room. Or to be exact, loudly stumbled into the room, with Jaime half carrying Karina. "Mona, are you guys back together yet?!" Karina shouted at us. Jaime put a finger on her lips and slurred, "Shhhh, don't say the M word! Then Vic's gonna get sad and write a new album!" They both drunkenly giggled, and then Karina asked again, "So are you back together?!" I laughed at how drunk she was, and said, "No, Karina. We're just friends, and I'm dating Sam remember?" She rolled her eyes, and leaned heavily on Jaime and tried whispering. "Just friends my ass. Look at how he's looking at her. And she still has the bracelet! The bracelet, Jaime! And as for Sam, he can go... He can go..." That's when she burst into a fit of laughter, and they both fell to the floor. We watched them fall on top of each other, just laughing. "Right, Jaime? Sam can just go away!" He planted a kiss on her lips, and said, "Yeah! He should just leave!" They both started laughing, and we watched them, laughing as well. "Well, goodnight you guys!" Jaime yelled out. He hugged Karina, and within minutes they were asleep together on the floor. Vic motioned to the door, and we slowly walked to the door. He softly shut the door, and we looked at each other, then burst out in laughter. "So are Jaime and Karina together?" He laughed and shook his head. "I don't know what they are, honestly. Friends? More than that? We'll never find out." We walked around the hotel, talking. Halfway through a sentence I yawned, and checked my watch. It was 3:30 in the morning... No wonder I was so tired. He looked at me worried, and said, "Are you tired Mona?" I nodded, and replied, "But I have no room to go to, seeing at Jaime and Karina are the room I was sharing with her, and I can't drive home because Karina drove us here. I suppose I could call Sam..." I remembered that we had gotten into a fight before I left, and I didn't want to talk to him. "There's no need to call him. You can spend the night in my room. I'll go and sleep in Tony's room." I was about to protest, when he grabbed my shoulders and said, "Shhh, no arguing. You're tired, and you need sleep. Besides, Tony's gonna want to talk about his date with Rosa. God, he's so in love with her... It's almost sickening in a way." He said with a chuckle. He led me to his room, and opened the door for me. "Tony's room is two doors down, just go ahead and knock if you need anything, okay?" I nodded, and then suddenly Vic hugged me tightly. "You have no idea how happy I am right now Mona." He whispered into my ear. "I missed you Vic..." I wanted to say much more, but I didn't. He let me go, and he said, "Goodnight Mona, get some rest, because I know Mike and Tony are gonna want to go out for breakfast early tomorrow." He looked at me one more time and said goodnight, and walked to Tony's room. Before he walked into the room though, he looked back at me and slightly smiled, then walked into him room, leaving me with a thousand butterflies and a head full of confused thoughts.
