Lyla's P.O.V:


We pulled up in front of the quaint, beach front home, my heart beating a mile a minute. Jaime threw open the door and sprinted towards the front door screaming about food at the top of his lungs. Mike got out and ran after him, Tony following slowly behind. Vic squeezed my hand and looked over at me, my apprehension apparent on my face. He gave me a small smile and I returned the favor, nodding my head slightly before opening the door and jumping to the ground. I was immediately hit by the smell of homemade mexican food, the smell all-too familiar, stirring up memories of years past. Vic walked around the truck so he was standing at my side; he flung his arm around my shoulders, pulling me tightly against his side, placing a lingering kiss on the side of my head. We walked together slowly up the flower lined stone path, up the concrete steps, and through the open, red front door.


It looked just as I remembered it; the same furniture inhabited the living room, the same pictures graced the walls, the same clock hung over the fireplace. I could hear the guys chattering away in the kitchen, the sounds of Mama Fuentes scolding Jaime in spanish filling my ears. I took a moment to take it all in, the memories flooding back like it was only yesterday that I spent more time in this house than my own, that these people were my family. "Victor! Go help your brother set the table, por favor!" I heard the voice of Papa Fuentes from behind where I was standing, staring at one of the many family pictures that hung on the white-washed walls. I turned around almost involuntarily to face him. He looked exactly the same; his big, brown eyes that he passed on to both of his sons still shining, his smile still wide and warm, welcoming. "There's my Lyla," he said softly. He took a few short strides towards me and pulled me into a hug.


"Hi papa," I replied, my voice not much higher than a whisper. He pulled away, but kept me at arms length studying me.


"How are you? Are you doing okay? Are you happy?" He fired off questions, his voice full of compassion and concern. I slightly nodded my head.


"Si, papa." I paused and glanced over at Vic, a small smile tugging at my lips, causing him to smile. "I am now." Vic walked away towards the dining room to help Mike set the table as his father had asked; I remained behind with Papa Fuentes. He spoke to me with such kindness, just as he always had. It was as if I had never left, like there weren't almost 8 years of distance between us. It was as if I was still a part of this family.


"Victor, go in there and calm those boys down! I can't deal with them anymore, they've all lost their damn minds!" Mama Fuentes hollered, her voice amused, as she walked into the living room. She gave Victor Sr. a look, silently asking him to leave. He smiled at me once again and softly kissed my forehead before he ran out of the living room; I could hear him yelling at the four loud boys causing a ruckus in the dining room table, cursing at them in spanish which made me laugh.


As I looked at the woman in front of me, her skin tanned, her blonde hair cut short, I started to tear up. I couldn't help it; it was no longer under my control. I had missed her more than I thought I had; she was like a mom to me. My mom wasn't around, and from the moment I became friends with Mike she graciously accepted me into this family and took over the role without hesitation. She was there for me for everything; boy problems, dad problems, friend problems, anything and everything she was there. She practically was my mom, and those 8 years without her, without this family, were horrible.


She moved quickly towards me, pulling me in to a tight hug, and I broke down. They weren't tears of sadness.......more like tears of relief; finally I was back where I belonged. Her body shook a little and I could tell she was crying too, probably for the same reason that I was. She softly patted my hair as we cried together for a few minutes, letting all of our emotions out while we were alone, the boys distracted doing Lord knows what.


After several minutes I pulled myself together, forcing the tears to come to a stop. I pulled away and ran my fingers under my eyes, wiping away the makeup that was surely running all over my face. I let out a small laugh as Mama did the same thing. "I missed you, mi hija," she said as she smiled sweetly at me.


"I missed you too, Mama." I paused for a moment. "I'm so sorry it took me so long to come home." She pulled me into a hug once again.


"No, no. What's past is past, mi amor. What matters is you're here now. I understand why you didn't come back here and I don't hold that against you," she replied sweetly. She pulled away and met my gaze with hers. "I always had a feeling you would find your way back here. I'm just glad that stubborn son of mine finally came to his senses!" We both laughed at her comment. "Come on, let's eat. You hungry?"


"Are you kidding me? I could practically smell your cooking a mile away and I haven't been able to stop thinking about food since!" I replied as we walked back into the kitchen. The kitchen was filled with massive amounts of food, but I hadn't really expected anything different. When Mama Fuentes cooks she cooks! There were enchilada's, tacos fixings, fajita meat, quesadillas, homemade queso, guacomole, and salsa. My mouth was watering at the sight. She hollered into the dining room, calling the guys in to fix their plates. Vic walked up beside me and I gave him a big smile, silently telling him that everything was okay. Not just okay; things were great, things were perfect. He replied with a smile and kissed my cheek as Mike passed plates down to everyone.


I watched in amusement as Jaime piled his plate high with food; it looked as if he hadn't eaten in days. We all laughed at him and made fun of him for it, Mama Fuentes shaking her head at him and muttering under her breath in spanish. I made my plate, grabbing a little of everything, before taking a seat at the table in between Vic and Mike; I always sat with Mike at family dinners because we were the only two who ate the hot salsa that Papa Fuentes would make specifically for us, so we would share the big bowl of it, dousing our food and shoveling it into our mouths by the chip full.


We all fell into easy conversation as we chowed down on the delicious meal; I hadn't had a meal that good in years. I felt like I was in heaven. We talked about everything: the band, the next tour, the next album, soccer, video games, Harry Potter (thanks to Mike). It was silent for a while as we all became to busy with stuffing our faces.


"So......how did you and Vic meet?" Jaime finally asked me in a sing-song voice. Mike and Vic started laughing; honestly, I was surprised they had never shared that story before.


"You've never heard that story before?" I asked; it wasn't really that exciting of a story. I hadn't told that story in so long it felt almost foreign to me. Jaime shook his head in response and I sighed, looking over at Vic who was smiling widely. "Ugh, fine! I'll tell you!" I replied dramatically, everyone at the table laughing along with me.


"I actually met Mike first. It was the first day of 7th grade; we had the same math class and we somehow ended up sitting next to each other. I was a huge dork back then, and for some reason I had brought my Harry Potter book with me to school, which wasn't the best idea. But, it got the attention of this one over here," I said pointing towards Mike. "He randomly started talking to me about the book." Mike butted in.


"At first she tried to pretend she was resistant to my charm and my smooth talking abilities, but eventually she gave in and started talking to me, too." I rolled my eyes as everyone laughed. I shook my head at Mike and laughed a little.


"Anyways. We had almost all of our classes together, and because I didn't have any other friends I decided to talk to him." Mike mocked hurt, but ended up laughing. "Long story short we became best friends rather quickly and were practically inseperable from that day on. Vic and I eventually became friends; I was always hanging around so it was basically inevitable for us to form some kind of friendship. He didn't hang out with us very often because he was in high school so he was way too cool for us!" I nudged Vic with my shoulder and he just rolled his eyes at me, scoffing playfully under his breath. Mike chose to continue on with the story.


"Eventually my brother came to his senses and stopped being an ass and started hanging out with us. I could always tell that Lyla liked Vic, but she would always deny it. Fast forward a couple years. We were, what, 15? We were sophomores, Vic was a senior. We ended up going to some stupid party with Vic and some of his friends. We had a little bit too much........" Mike paused and I cringed."Soda! We had a little too much soda at the party and we ended up playing 7 minutes in heaven and these two over here spent a good chunk of the evening making out in a closet at Chris Bryant's house!"


I face-palmed myself, my cheeks immediately turning a deep shade of red. I had hoped Mike would leave that part of the story out, especially since his parents were around. Not that they hadn't heard the story before, but it was still awkward to discuss, even though it had been over 10 years since that happened. I uncovered my face to see Vic blushing beside me, and Jaime laughing so hard he was crying and choking on his food. Mike was smirking next to me and I smacked him on the arm.


Everyone started laughing along with Jaime, and I couldn't help but join in even though I was still a tad bit embarassed. The conversation topic moved to something else, thankfully, and for the first time in a long time everything finally felt right. I was home with the people I loved, and there was no place else I wanted to be.


Vic's P.O.V:


As Mike told the story about the night that Lyla and I got together I couldn't help but smile at the memory. Lyla was mortified that Mike had told our parents that we got drunk at a party and made out in a closet, but all I could do was laugh along with them. That night was the best night of my life. I had liked her for as long as I could remember, practically since the moment I first met her, but I was always too nervous to do anything about it. I always thought she liked Mike, that she would never want me, but that night at that party, everything changed. Granted we were both drunk.....I guess history sure has a way of repeating itself when it comes to Lyla and I getting together. I switched the subject away from that to the soccer game that had been on earlier, giving Lyla's leg a tight squeeze under the table and she smiled over at me, silently thanking me for changing the subject. It was nice to see her happy again. Having her here, eating dinner with my family...it felt just like it did all those years ago. Things were back like they were supposed to be, and I couldn't be happier about it.


"Oh, Lyla, honey I found something when I was cleaning the other day that you will definitely want to see!" My mom jumped up from her chair and walked hurridly down the hall towards her room. That wasn't good. If I knew my mom, which I like to think I do, there would be only one thing that she was going after: pictures.


"Ma!" I whined loudly, though I knew it was no use. I didn't even want to know what picture she had found. One that would embarrass me, surely. She came running back to the table, clutching several pictures to her chest.


The first one was a picture of Lyla and Mike before a middle school dance. I couldn't help but laugh at Mike's hair. He had bleach blonde liberty spikes and was wearing cargo shorts, knee high tube socks and converse. Lyla looked beautiful as always.


The next one was a picture of Lyla and I at my senior prom. This time it was Lyla who laughed out loud.


"Oh my God, Vic, your hair!" She squealed. "I forgot! Oh my Lord!!!" I shook my head as I stared down at my middle part. What I was thinking I have no idea.


The final picture was of the three of us; Lyla, Mike and I at their high school graduation. We all looked so different than we do now. Mike was still rocking the liberty spikes, his freshly pierced lip swollen in the picture. I had finally come to my senses and ditched the middle part, but the hair still wasn't good. Lyla looked gorgeous: her shoulder length hair was blonde and wavy, her freckled nose scrunched up as she smiled widely at the camera. Her looks may have changed, but that smile; it hasn't changed a bit.


My mom passed the pictures around to Jaime and Tony, who made fun of Mike and I for our hair, though I'm sure we would do the same if we saw pictures of them. My mom took the pictures back and set them aside, recruiting Tony and Jaime to help her clean the kitchen. Tony happily obliged, but Jaime complained, earning a scolding from my mom as always. He eventually did as he was told and cleared our plates from in front of us.


"So, Lyla, how's your father doing? I haven't seen him in ages!" My father asked, breaking the silence. I couldn't help but notice Lyla tense and direct her gaze down to her lap. She looked uncomfortable. I was curious to hear the answer; come to think of it I hadn't heard her speak about her dad once since we reconnected, which was odd.


"Oh, he's, uh, fine thanks," she muttered, her gaze never leaving her lap as she spoke. She finally looked up and flashed a fake smile. "Excuse me, I'm going to run to the restroom." She pushed her chair away from the table and disappeared down the hallway. I looked over at Mike, who's face was also laced with confusion, obviously noticing the same thing I had. I excused myself and followed after her. She wasn't in the bathroom by the time I got there, and I walked down the hallway a little further; I had an idea where she might have gone.


I noticed the door to my old bedroom was cracked, and I walked in, seeing Lyla sitting on the edge of the bed, her eyes scanning the room.


---------


Lyla's P.O.V:


"Excuse me, I'm going to run to the restroom," I said as I stood up and walked down the hallway in the direction of the bathroom. I didn't have to use the bathroom at all; I wasn't expecting my father to come up in conversation, and it made me uncomfortable so I bolted. I walked past the bathroom to my true destination, a place where I could think quietly by myself. I stood outside of Vic's old bedroom and took a deep breath before I turned the door knob and pushing my way in.


I was surprised when I entered the room; it looked exactly the way it had all those years ago. Not a thing had changed. He still had the same blanket on his bed, the same books piled in the corner, the same posters clung to his walls. I shut the door behind me, leaving it open a crack, and sat down on the edge of the bed taking in the familiarity of it all, the memories rushing back like never before. I was lost in thought, staring at the Taking Back Sunday poster in front of me; I hardly noticed the door open, but the floor creaked, drawing my attention towards the doorway where Vic stood watching me. I smiled and he shut the door behind him and walked over to me, taking a seat on the bed next to me. We sat in silence for a while.


"When I moved out I couldn't bring myself to take any of this stuff with me. It all held too many memories, and I felt like if I moved it, if I disturbed any of it those memories would disappear and I didn't want them to," Vic finally said. I leaned over and rested my head on his shoulder, his hand moving to my thigh and resting lightly on it.


"Yeah, I know what you mean. I did the same thing. I didn't take any of my stuff. It's all still there sitting at my house. I hope," I added quietly. "It's crazy how many memories this stuff holds, you know? Just looking at these things makes me feel like I'm 17 again. Like that Taking Back Sunday poster that we got at their concert. Or that book over there; you had to read it for your English class, but you kept taking me places and distracting yourself so you wouldn't have to read it." It was weird how much I remembered, how many little things that didn't really matter came floating back into my mind.


"Or this bed that we used to have sex in," Vic added and my hand shot up and covered my mouth as I shook my head at him.


"Thanks for ruining the moment with that. Of course that would be the one thing you remember, perv," I said rolling my eyes. Vic chuckled a little and I couldn't help but smile.


The silence enclosed around us once again; I could tell that Vic was wanting to ask about my dad, about why I had left the table so suddenly when his father brought him up. It was obvious that he was nervous about asking because he didn't want to pry into my business. I sighed loudly.


"I haven't talked to my dad in 4 years," I said finally. "At first he was fine with me moving to L.A. He said he understood why I wanted to go, and he supported me. He supported my dream of pursuing photography. About 2 years after I moved out there he started dating this woman. I don't know what exactly she said to him, but all of a sudden he did a complete 180. He spent hours a day arguing with me, trying to convince me to come home. He said that I needed to go to school so I could get a real job. He told me that photography was just a hobby, that I could never make anything out of it, and that I needed to get an education so I could make something out of my life." I paused a moment as I thought back on that final phone conversation I had with my dad. Vic put his arm around me and pulled me close. "He basically cut me off, told me he wasn't going to support me anymore unless I moved home. Basically I told him no and told him to fuck off.....I haven't talked to him since. He's tried to call me a few times over the years, but I've been too stubborn to talk to him."


"You miss him, don't you?" Vic asked, and I nodded my head.


"Yeah. I miss him a lot. I was hurt by what he said, but I never should have pushed him away forever for that." It was a habit I had, pushing people away. I needed to fix that.


"You should go see him. I'm sure he misses you a lot, Ly. He would be happy to see you," Vic said sweetly.


"Yeah. Maybe I will." Vic sat me up and kissed me sweetly; being in his room, him kissing me, I felt like I had been transported back in time 10 years.I yanked the hat off his head and started messing with his hair.


"What in the world are you doing?" Vic asked and I laughed.


"We're going to bring the middle part back!" I exclaimed as I smoothed his hair into a middle part, laughing loudly as Vic glared at me.


"Hell no! We are not doing that! Ever!" He tackled me down on the bed, straddling me and holding my arms above my head. He yanked his hat out of my hand and put it back on his head as I continued to laugh at him. My laughing eventually subsided and I just smiled up at him. "I love you, Ly," Vic said sweetly.


"I love you too," I responded, leaning up and connecting my lips with his.


"Wanna go back out there? Mom made dessert!" He said excitedly and I smiled widely at him, nodding my head. We stood up and walked hand in hand out of the room and down the hall, back to the kitchen.......back to our family.


Things were all starting to fall into place......and it felt good........really good.