OFF THE RECORD (First Person)

24. Reunion

November 2014

Emma

Isaiah and Tomas decided to pick me up last, supposedly because I was the one that took longer to get ready. Still, the three of us had arrived before Regina, Memo and Erica.

Jose was waiting for us on the outside bar, just above the Corpus Christi Bay. He looked dashing. He still had a slim figure, but he had grown taller, and his usual glasses were not present. Regardless, he was comfortable, wearing khakis, a gray polo shirt and some Sperrys. His black hair was combed to the side.

"Friends! How good is to see y'all!" He greeted us, leaving his jack and coke on the bar.

I embraced him instantly. Besides Perla and Omar, he was one of the members of the old gang that I had lost touch with after high school, even when he had been one of my best friends. Jose returned the affection, just as excited to see me.

"I see you look better than the last time we saw each other." He said as he held my shoulders.

I gave him a timid smile. Jose had been the only one that had seen me collapse for Omar, just before I decided to move to Houston. His words of encouragement were enough for me to strap my feelings in and keep going. I hold him again, thanking him for the past.

We ordered drinks for each other. Jose and Isaiah were easily distracted by a conversation about the voting machines used for the elections.

Tomas couldn't keep his eyes away from me. I had fixed my hair in waves, and was wearing a thin strapped, short, pink dress with flowering stamping. I matched the dress with some nude platforms, helping me reach Tomas's nose. He got close to me until his mouth was on my ear.

"You look so beautiful." He whispered.

I turned away, hiding my giddiness, with my martini on hand. "Not that I didn't know it but thank you." I answered him, faking confidence. "You don't look too bad yourself." I added.

Tomas winks at me. He had opted for some black slacks, matching shoes, and a button up light blue shirt, with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, making his eyes, and tattooed lower arms, stand out.

"Thank you for yesterday." I continued. "I don't know what I was thinking. Really." I couldn't stop feeling ashamed towards him, but I was grateful he hadn't brought it up.

He got close to me again, to whisper in my ear. "I know you were thinking the same as me. But don't worry. That would only happen when we're both conscious."

I pushed him away, with my hand on his well-formed chest. "In your dreams, Rocker boy."

"There, too." He affirmed, fixing a strand of my hair behind my ear.

A thin layer of carmine had invaded my cheeks.

I felt my heart beating, each time harder, faster. I was losing myself in his verdant pupils. I thought about challenging him with a smart comment, but my words got stuck in my throat, impossible to come out as I had been left unbalanced to his presence.

A small whimper interrupted the moment, to which the four of us turned our attention. Regina ran to hug Isaiah, while Memo and Erica walked behind her, holding hands.

"How is it that all of y'all got so hot? I thought y'all would be fat and full of kids by now!" Beamed Isaiah, surprised to see his girl friends.

He himself was dressed in a dark button up shirt, with loose jeans, and black shoes. His hair and beard had been trimmed as close to his skin as possible.

Regina tousled his hair. "You never change, Isa!"

I greeted our friends, not before smacking Isaiah on the back of his head.