On My Way Home (Scömìche)

9~ Reunited

Call me?! Scott and I walk side by side out of the office and towards my parked car. Alexander knows I don't like him and I know he doesn't like me... but from the angle Kirk is playing at makes him look like we are best friends. Like he is some  'saint'. He must have Scott fooled because the way Scott looked at him was as if he was staring at his idol. The way he touched Scott and the way Scott stared at him... Jealousy is word I can use to describe it. I don't even think Alexander is gay. I don't even know why I reacted the way I did with Scott.  Suddenly my phone interrupts my thoughts. I fish through my pocket until my fingers find my phone. 'Kirstie' it reads. I smile down at the phone and then slide my finger across the screen. When I bring it to my ear, before I can even say hello, Kirstie is on the other end yelling. "Why didn't you tell me Scott got home yesterday?!" She shouts. "Are greetings that obsolete?" I joke. "He got home at, like, four in the morning yesterday. I'm pretty sure if I would've called you I wouldn't be alive to tell the tale today." I begin to explain. She laughs. "Yes, that is probably true," She jokes. Scott and I near the car. He has been awfully quiet. I reach into my pocket and withdraw my keys with my free hand. "How did you even know he was home?" I ask as the sudden thought dawned on me.  "It's not like I don't use any social media," she says sarcastically. I furrow my eyebrows. "So it was online? Than how come I was last to know?" I ask as I unlock the car, clambering inside. Scott gets inside and shuts his door, looking over at me. I pull the phone away from me. "How come I was last to know of your arrival?" I ask as I toss my briefcase into the backseat. He smiles and shrugs. "I posted it almost everywhere." He says, quietly. I bring the phone back to my mouth. "I guess I live under a rock," I joke. Scott and Kirstie laugh as I shut my door. "We have to get together!" She exclaims. I smile and shove my keys into the ignition. "Yes, definitely," I say. She is quiet on the other end. "How about tonight?" She suggests, cheerfully.  I glance over at Scott who is picking at his cuticles, not even paying attention. "Avi is performing at the cafe and I think it would just be something nice to do. A nice quiet place to catch up." She continues. I nod turning the keys, bringing the car to life. "Yes, that sounds great. What time?" I ask, glancing out of the window. She is quiet again. "How does six sound?" She asks. I pull out of the spot and maneuver my way towards the exit. "Sounds great." I say, stopping at road. "Perfect!" She exclaims. "I'll see you then," she adds. With that we hang up. 

Scott and I arrive home at Four Twenty. We didn't talk much over the ride but I didn't know what I would be comfortable saying. My boss, who's sexuality is questionable, is hitting on my best friend... I don't think that is a suitable 'car ride' discussion. I set my keys on the counter as Scott removes his sneakers. "Kirstie wants to meet at a cafe tonight to see you... so we'll probably have to leave in an hour or so." I say, running my hand through my hair. He smirks and nods. I nod and turn to walk towards my room with my briefcase.  "Mitch," Scott says, stopping me midstep.  I turn and glance over my shoulder. "Yes?" I ask. "Your boss Kirk is an ass," he says with a smile. I smile too, but it is more relief than anything else. I turn and walk into my room. Maybe it was just my thoughts leading me astray...

By Five Thirty, Scott and I are back on the road. It has been a long time since I have been to the cafe so as I drive I have Scott text Kirstie to ask for the directions. "Make a left up here," Scott says, pointing from the passengers seat. I switch on my blinkered and merge into the left lane. We drive through a smaller town in Southwestern California.  The streets are lined with quaint markets and brick buildings. The sun, that has just began to set, creates a golden glow on the changing leaves that hang on the small trees that line the streets. "It should be after the next stoplight. It has red and green striped awnings over the windows and picnic tables in the front." He explains. As we approach the red and green awnings I see a small, blonde, woman jumping up and down and waving. "Or it has a Kirstie in the front..." Scott jokes as he turns off his phone, tucking it into the back pocket of his snug faded blue jeans. In front of the cafe is an empty parking spot with an empty meter right beside it. I pull closer and maneuver my way until I have successfully parallel parked in the spot. I turn off the car and look over at Scott, who is smiling at me. "Ready?" I ask. "Hell yes!" He exclaims. We both laugh as we climb out of the car. We shut our doors in unison and I begin to tuck my keys into my back pocket as Scott walks around the front of my car and joins me at my side. Kirstie, who has stopped waving, runs towards Scott.  "Oh my gosh! I've missed you so much!" She exclaims, wrapping him in a tight embrace. I step aside as Jeremy steps up beside me with Anna in his arms. I watch with a smile on my face as Scott wraps Kirstie in his arms. "I told you I was going to come back..." He whispers into her wavy hair. She releases him but holds him at arms length, looking him up and down. "I would've been mad if you didn't," she jokes. He smiles down at her. "Welcome Home," Jeremy says. Scott looks up at him with a smile and his eyes grow wide when he sees the bundle in his arms. Kirstie releases him and crosses her arms over her chest as Scott walks towards Jeremy. "Would you like to hold her?" Jeremy asks, gesturing to the baby. Scott nods. Jeremy sets Anna in Scott's large, waiting, arms. I look at Kirstie, who is smiling at Scott, and then at Jeremy, who grins at Scott. Scott holds the baby in his arms looking down at her with misty eyes.  "She's beautiful..." Scott whispers, rocking the baby. "Hello Anna, I'm Uncle Scotty," Scott whispers, to the tranquil baby, in a cute baby voice. I giggle and Scott looks up at me. "And there's Aunty Mitch," He jokes, gesturing towards me. Jeremy, Kirstie, and I all laugh. Baby Anna giggles. Jeremy holds his arms back open as Scott hands off the baby. "Scott?!" I hear a voice say in the distance. Though it is not my name I turn around to see who the voice belonged to. Walking up the sidewalk is none other than Kevin. He wears his flat bill hat and a bright smile. "Kev!" Scott exclaims. "Hey man," Kevin says bringing Scott into a hug. "Glad to see you're home," he says with a bright smile. I smile. Seeing Scott back home, smiling in the arms of his 'family', is the best feeling in the world for me because after all of the worries and doubts I finally see why the 'payoff' is so worth it. Scott and Kevin release from their hug and turn to stare at Kirstie, Jer, and I. "So do you guys want to head inside? Or do you want to hang out here?" Kirstie says, playfully. "Lets head inside..." Scott says. Our small group heads towards the door. Kevin grabs the handle and pulls the door open, stepping aside to let us in. Jeremy and Anna walk in first followed by Scott and then by me. "Thanks," I say, politely, to Kevin as I pass him into the cafe. As soon as I step into the cafe I am overwhelmed by the smell of cinnamon and coffee. I close my eyes and let the aromas from the treats tease my nostrils. "What are you going to get?" I hear Scott whisper beside me. I open my eyes and look over at him. "What?" I whisper, sweetly. He laughs and points to the small menu that sits above the counter. "What are you ordering?" He repeats. I smile and look up at the menu. "Oh, um-" I pause, observing the menu. Everything looks and smells so good but it is so hard to choose. Kirstie and Jeremy are just about finished ordering. I have to choose quickly, my conscience whispers. "What are you going to get?" I ask, looking back over at Scott. He smiles. "I might just get one of their Cinnamon Sugar Lattes. I heard they were pretty good." He says. "Well make that two," I chirp. He smiles. Kirstie and Jeremy grab their order and walk over to one of the tables near the small stage as Scott and I step up. "Hello, Welcome to Giorgio's Cafe. What can I get for you?" The barista asks, softly. "Hi, can I get two Cinnamon Sugar Lattes?" He says. I look up at him and smile. The way he speaks, the way his mouth moves as he talks. The way he carries himself... "Do you want whipped cream with that?" She asks. He looks down at me. "Mitch?" He asks. I nod. He looks back at the girl. "Yes, whipped cream on both of them..." he adds. She looks down at the register and punches in a few buttons.  "Okay, your total is $8.21," She says. I begin to reach into my back pocket to remove my wallet when Scott raises a hand gesturing for me to stop. "Don't worry about it... You picked me up from the airport and I am staying at your house," He says, withdrawing his wallet and fishing through the folds. He removes a ten dollar bill and hands it to the girl. She punches a few more buttons on the register and then inserts the cash removing our change. "$1.79 is your change, your drinks will be right up."  She says, placing the change in Scott's palm. Scott then takes the dollar and seventy nine cents and places it in the jar on the counter with a sign that reads 'Gratuities Welcome' attached to it. He tucks his wallet into his back pocket and smiles down at me. "That's sweet of you," I whisper. "Are you being serious?" He whispers. I smile at him. "I'm serious, that is very nice of you." I say. He blushes and then grins. "Thank you," He says. The girl returns with both of our lattes in hand. "Here you are," she says as she hands them off to us. "Thank you," we say at the same time. We smile at each other and walk towards the table Kirstie and Jeremy saved for us.

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A/N:  I forgot to add the authors note to the last chapter so I am going to explain chapter 8 now. To add a conflict factor in the story between the characters I had to choose someone to be the "bad guy" character. I wanted this character to be someone close to Scott and Mitch in real life so that the story will kind of remain realistic. I chose Alex to be the "villain". I am sorry if my decision made you upset, I like Alex too, but please continue reading because there is much more to come. Please leave any comments or reviews and, once again, I am sorry. Thank you for reading <3