"Do you ever think your friends from college will want to come out here and see you?" Gerard asked as the two of us sat outside on my break.

We both had a cigarette in one hand and a coffee in the other and while it was getting colder out it was still gloriously sunny, with what few leaves that changed in the fall beginning their descent into red, orange and yellow. We were sitting on a random bench and enjoying, well just the outside and each other's company. Gerard had stopped by on his way to the museum to see if I would be joining him this time around but he had found me running around arms full of plates and found his own answer.

"I don't know. Maybe? I kind of left them hanging, without so much as an explanation, and while they have called once they haven't called again. I don't know if they realized what I was doing, or took it as a personal affront to their character that I left there, and them. I don't know if we would all meld like we once did," I answered as truthfully as I could.

And I couldn't figure out if I was sad or not over that fact. I had left for a reason and I had changed quite a lot since then. I wasn't the girl I once was back in college, far from it.

"I don't see how anyone couldn't get along with you," Gerard added softly after a moment or so of silence.

"Not everyone gets along with everyone, especially the people I called friends back in college. They're not like you and I," I replied as I turned my head to smile at him.

"But all of us get along with you," Gerard answered honestly as he shrugged his shoulders and taking a drag from his cigarette, letting the smoke laze its way out of his mouth.

"That's true, but I don't think it has anything to do with me. I'm pretty sure you guys get along with everyone," I teased.

"Well more or less, yes. But not everyone. And it's not just us that gets along with you, Reta and everyone who works here does. The regulars who come in all the time get along with you too. So it's not just us, it really is you," Gerard offered as he reached forward and brushed some of my bangs off my face.

I smiled softly at him and then caught sight of my cigarette butt.

"I gotta go Gee, time to sling more breakfast!" I said as I quickly stood and let a hand reach out to help him off the bench.

He took it gratefully and stood as I pulled him up quickly, his sketch books and pencils and other art implements still on the bench from when he had placed them down when we had first sat.

"Think about it, inviting your friends out here. It might do you some good, maybe help find closure, I don't know. Something," Gerard offered as he dusted off the back of himself even though more than likely there wasn't anything there.

"I'll think about it," I offered as I turned back towards Reta's.

"Oh and don't forget we have practice tonight and expect you there and that Sharon will be here to pick you up once you get off of work," Gerard called out from where he had stopped walking away, his back no longer facing me.

"Got it," I laughed back at him as I waved goodbye and proceeded to open the large silver doors that led into Reta's, the smells and sounds hitting me in a rush.

And right then and there I knew this was getting to be home, it had that nostalgic feel to it and I had only just been outside. Maybe I would call them and see if they would grace Jersey for me.
-xXx-
"You're here early," I said as I went about untying the apron from around my waist.

I was exhausted but knew that as soon as I showered, changed and got to the guys' band practice I would be fine. But as it currently stood I was still grimy, sweaty, smelling of diner food, tired, and very much still looking like a waitress at Reta's with Sharon sitting in front of me grinning like a fool as she twirled on a bar stool.

"I know, but the guys were adamant about me being here to pick you up on time so you would come. So adamant in fact that they kicked me out of the house early. So here I am," Sharon said happily as she spun once again, making the bar stool squeak and creak in what had become a familiar sound to me.

"Well I still need to shower and change but you can rot your brain watching t.v., t.v. in fact that you get to control the remote for. T.V. that you don't have to fight with the guys over," I said cheekily as I put my order pad behind the counter and under the register where I had already tallied my orders for the day.

"Oh god you're right. Let's go!" Sharon said excitedly as she hopped off the stool and raced for the front exit.

"Whoa speed racer we can go through the back," I called out laughingly as Sharon reached the front door, which was locked for the night.

"Huh?" Sharon asked confused.

"Haven't you ever been the back way?" I asked, knowing that Gerard knew where it was and pretty sure the other guys did as well.

"Uh no," Sharon answered like it should have been obvious by here previous answer.

Which it should have been. But I was exhausted so I was allowed some slip ups.

"This way," I said as I waved her over and turned to go through the kitchen to the stairway that led to my apartment.

"Night everyone!" I called out as I ventured through the kitchen with Sharon close behind my heels.

"Night Jay!" Reta, Ernie and Sam all chorused back to me from their individual spots.

I waved over my shoulder in their general directions and opened the back door to my stairwell, knowing they'd lock it before they left.

"Wow," Sharon said as I held the door open for her to exit out of.

I smiled and shook my head a little.

"How did you not notice the door here every time you came over?" I asked in a teasing manner, as the door really was hard to miss.

"I have no freaking idea," Sharon said in a sort of bemused tone as I shut the door behind her and she saw just how un-missable the door really was.

I laughed at her as I made my way up the stairs and towards my apartment, knowing she would follow me once she got over her shock. Which didn't take long as I heard her feet clambering up the wooden steps as I was unlocking my door. I gave it a soft kick with my foot once it was unlocked and the knob turned, knowing Sharon would let herself in if the door closed before she got there. Sighing I dropped my apron on the small table next to the door and kicked off my Converse before making my way to my bathroom. I was in desperate need of a shower. When I cam back from grabbing a clean towel from the folded yet to be put away laundry I heard the television on in the living room and knew Sharon had made it in. Smiling I made my way into the bathroom and a much needed steaming hot shower.

After my shower was done I simply towel dried off, toweled off my hair and walked towards my room, wrapped in said towel, in search of clothes. I still heard the television blaring in the other room so knew Sharon was still there. I grabbed a pair of my faithful trusty, well loved jeans and slid them on after I had put on new undergarments. The jeans were so old I think I got them back in high school, they were fairly loose fitting all the way around and tended to hang off my hips. There were also liberally covered in giant frayed holes, so much in fact that I decided to wear black and white striped leggings underneath to protect my legs from the cold, along with my soft black canvas belt.

Next I quickly grabbed my tight fitting Iron Maiden shirt and slipped it on as I dug through my top drawer for socks of some sort. Once I had hopped around my bedroom and finally gotten my socks on I went about drying my hair some more, not really caring to style it. I through on some black eyeliner and through a black skulls and cross bones bandana around my hair once I had folded it down into a band. Calling myself done I grabbed my Cure hoodie and bag and made my way to Sharon, hoping I hadn't kept her too long.

"Hey sorry if I kept you too long," I called out as I jogged down my short hallway into my living room.

The television was still on but Sharon wasn't sitting on the couch in front of it, she was standing in front of the large painting on my wall, the one Gerard did. Currently she seemed to be looking at the large frame made up of all the smaller frames Gerard had filled for me and given to me on my birthday, the drawing of me included.

"You know, I've never really seen his artwork," Sharon said, her body still bent slightly in front of the pictures hanging on the painted wall.

I didn't know how to respond to that statement really, especially since while I knew he was secretive about his work I had thought that at least Sharon saw some of it. I mean the man painted my apartment for me, we spent days at the museum together and everything else, I had figured somewhere in there Sharon would have been included.

"Huh," was all I was able to say in response.

"He's really quite amazing, and yet in the almost three years we have been together I haven't seen any of his pieces really. Nor has he painted anything in our apartment in that time period," Sharon said and though I searched for any sort of malice or hate in her tone I found none, just her stating simple fact.

"Oh," was the only thing I could come up with.

"It really is quite amazing. I haven't really had the chance to admire it without a room full of loud obnoxious guys, the chance to look at it up close in a quiet environment. Whatever it is you two share it really is something. Looking at the painting it's almost like at first I can solely see Gerard as the person standing there, arms raised. But then if I look again I can see it as being you instead. But then if I look a third time I can see what it really is, it's you and him combined in most aspects, with a little of the unknown thrown in as well. Like I said, it's amazing," Sharon said with a large smile on her face as she stood and looked at me.

It almost looked as if her eyes seemed a little sad, but it vanished if it had ever been there and was replaced with the smile now gracing her face. I smiled back as I nodded my head in agreement.

"He really is talented, almost so much that it makes you sick. I mean does he have to be artistically talented like this and musically? I don't seem to think it's fair," I said, putting on my best silly serious face.

Sharon laughed a bit and picked up her things, the ones she had brought into the diner and then consequently up here afterwards.

"I concur," she said as she stood beside me.

I grinned at her.

"Boys," we both said in unison, shaking our heads.

Laughing at our timing we made our way to my door, me going through last so as to make sure I locked it.

Notes

Poor Sharon I guess, never being let into Gerard's art. . .