Categories > Original > Romance > The Lighter Side of Love
12. Five Years and Five Friends Later
2 reviewsFive years later, we find out what has happened to the five friends and who they kept close and those they kept closer.
1Ambiance
12. Five Years and Five Friends Later
YANI
‘Ricardo! Regina! Stop running!’ I called out to our twins.
‘Your children are very messy,’ a voice called out into my ear.
‘Why are they my kids when they’re doing something bad?’ I pinched the cheek of my husband, who winced in mock pain as he dropped down to the chair next to me.
‘I think it’s because they get it from your side of the family,’ he grinned.
Two years married, and happily settled in Colombia, it was a decision that we thought long and hard about—although I would miss my mum by being this far away, I knew that Diego was doing wonders with his work and I was now a full-time teacher at the orphanage.
We went back home to Melbourne once a year though, so it wasn’t too bad.
But right now, we were going to Rome to meet up with old friends.
Friends whom I’d not seen since our wedding—except for Camille, who was the only one had stayed back in Melbourne after that first summer years ago.
RACH
‘You’re so lucky Rachael, you’re going to Rome for the weekend!’
‘Yeah,’ I smiled, to Madelaine, the Head Nurse at the Surgical Ward at St. Luke’s in the heart of London where I had been working for two years, ‘after this meeting with the new surgeons—I’m off!’
The coffee room was packed with nurses and some doctors, the latter of which were cramped over at the front—around a light brown head.
‘Okay everyone... be quiet—this is our youngest surgeon, he’s only 27 so ladies... you have my permission to mother him—Mr. Phillip Podolski.’
The young man smiled, and I was impressed at his achievements.
Why did he look familiar?
He looked at me and grinned and I smiled back absently, still trying to figure out how I knew him.
‘... he worked with the/ Young Medics/...and a little birdy told me that he knows Nurse Currie from there—so I hope you’ll take care of him,’ the chief surgeon Dr. Stephens said.
‘Poppo?’
‘Polish Podolski—PO-PO,’ he explained to the amused group, ‘the secrets out, eh Red?’
EMI
He was doing that thing again, when he was staring at me.
‘Let me guess,’ I started sceptically, ‘you’re THINKING again?’
‘Five years, is it a wonder that you know me so well?’
‘Can you uh, stop smiling? It’s starting to freak me out,’ I said, shifting off the couch, this time in his own apartment in Rome, rather than in January’s.
It had been two years of travelling and whole heap of incidents that would be laughed at for years to come—but after those two years, Armaud was roped back home to eventually take over the baronetcy.
‘Let’s set a date.’
‘What’s brought this on?’
‘I’m getting older Emi, I need heirs!!!’
‘Uh huh,’ I said, not convinced.
‘Father thinks if I don’t marry you now, you’re going to get tired of waiting for me.’
‘Uh huh,’ I made the sound again.
‘Because I love you and it’s taken me three years to say you’ll marry me. If I start now trying to set a date, you might give in sooner or later.’
I hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.
‘If you say “uh-huh” one more time?’
‘Fine, let’s get married—I trust you. You’ve kept me out of jail for five years.’
CAMIE
‘Everything is going to be fine sis,’ I said, staring at Kei, who was staring at me.
‘Shouldn’t I be the one telling you this?’ she smiled at me.
‘You’re the one getting married!’
‘You’re the one who’s freaking out!’
‘Guys, if you don’t hurry up—there’s going to be a mutiny out there,’ Currie said bossily, ‘now hurry up.’
It was only my second time in Rome, but already I’d been here for eight months.
Things with Johnie had become weird when I left and truthfully, I wasn’t sure that it was going to work out.
After one year of not talking to him though, he came back into my life stronger than ever.
And later on, we arranged to meet—instead of me surprising him.
The surprise was what happened when I got here.
The aisle was long and it gave me time to think.
I could see both Johnie and Sergio at the end, and I smiled at one of them, the love of my life.
As Kei went over to Sergio—no one suspecting that she was wearing Manchester United socks under her dress—I caught Johnie’s eye.
‘I love you,’ he whispered to me.
‘I love you too,’ I winked back at him, wanting the wedding to be over so I could kiss him again.
I touched my ring finger with my thumb—happy with feeling the gold of my wedding ring—and touched my stomach, I would tell him later.
KEI
It was funny sometimes, how life turns out.
Meeting Sergio had been a surprise at Camille’s wedding and the best man, getting to know the bridesmaid—it was too cliché to be real.
But it was real.
Three years they’d been married—three years I’d been wondering whether I could be the girlfriend, let alone wife, of a rising star in Italian football.
‘You’re not having second thoughts are you?’ Sergio asked, ‘pausing as he slid the ring onto my finger.’
‘And if I say yes?’
‘You know, I won’t trap you into something you don’t want... I just beg of you to think of the food.’
‘How was I lucky enough to have you?’
‘That’s my line.’
‘Before we start arguing, just put the ring on my finger—I want to be yours.’
‘Not feeling commitment-phobic?’
‘With you? Sergio—I feel like I’m free.’
And then I married him.
Memories won’t melt, I won’t forget Jed (who ended up marrying a nice girl and having four kids!!) or the other two boyfriends I had before Sergio.
But my future started now.
After the wedding...
‘Kei! Congratulations—introduce me to Sergio’s teammates!’
‘Currie, didn’t you just meet up with Poppo?’
‘I’m not going to burn bridges!’
‘Dyani, are you pregnant again?’
‘No, but I know you are!!!’
‘How did you know??’
‘Emily—is that a wedding ring on your finger?’
‘Naughty girl, you eloped didn’t you!’
‘Of course not! Armaud’s father won’t have it! It’s in eight months.’
And they would all meet again.
Not all people end up with their summer love or their childhood love.
Meeting that person who can make you happy and make you frustrated could come when you’re very young, when you’re very old, or more likely—sometime in between.
But fondly should be remembered the/ Lighter Side of Love/.
A/N: And so it has ended. Another kei!fic, aka blog series. It wasn’t as in depth or half as frequent as the others, but that is what happens with time. It seems like the hours of the day stay the same, but when we get older we need more and more of it. Peace out dear friends and readers :D Kei
YANI
‘Ricardo! Regina! Stop running!’ I called out to our twins.
‘Your children are very messy,’ a voice called out into my ear.
‘Why are they my kids when they’re doing something bad?’ I pinched the cheek of my husband, who winced in mock pain as he dropped down to the chair next to me.
‘I think it’s because they get it from your side of the family,’ he grinned.
Two years married, and happily settled in Colombia, it was a decision that we thought long and hard about—although I would miss my mum by being this far away, I knew that Diego was doing wonders with his work and I was now a full-time teacher at the orphanage.
We went back home to Melbourne once a year though, so it wasn’t too bad.
But right now, we were going to Rome to meet up with old friends.
Friends whom I’d not seen since our wedding—except for Camille, who was the only one had stayed back in Melbourne after that first summer years ago.
RACH
‘You’re so lucky Rachael, you’re going to Rome for the weekend!’
‘Yeah,’ I smiled, to Madelaine, the Head Nurse at the Surgical Ward at St. Luke’s in the heart of London where I had been working for two years, ‘after this meeting with the new surgeons—I’m off!’
The coffee room was packed with nurses and some doctors, the latter of which were cramped over at the front—around a light brown head.
‘Okay everyone... be quiet—this is our youngest surgeon, he’s only 27 so ladies... you have my permission to mother him—Mr. Phillip Podolski.’
The young man smiled, and I was impressed at his achievements.
Why did he look familiar?
He looked at me and grinned and I smiled back absently, still trying to figure out how I knew him.
‘... he worked with the/ Young Medics/...and a little birdy told me that he knows Nurse Currie from there—so I hope you’ll take care of him,’ the chief surgeon Dr. Stephens said.
‘Poppo?’
‘Polish Podolski—PO-PO,’ he explained to the amused group, ‘the secrets out, eh Red?’
EMI
He was doing that thing again, when he was staring at me.
‘Let me guess,’ I started sceptically, ‘you’re THINKING again?’
‘Five years, is it a wonder that you know me so well?’
‘Can you uh, stop smiling? It’s starting to freak me out,’ I said, shifting off the couch, this time in his own apartment in Rome, rather than in January’s.
It had been two years of travelling and whole heap of incidents that would be laughed at for years to come—but after those two years, Armaud was roped back home to eventually take over the baronetcy.
‘Let’s set a date.’
‘What’s brought this on?’
‘I’m getting older Emi, I need heirs!!!’
‘Uh huh,’ I said, not convinced.
‘Father thinks if I don’t marry you now, you’re going to get tired of waiting for me.’
‘Uh huh,’ I made the sound again.
‘Because I love you and it’s taken me three years to say you’ll marry me. If I start now trying to set a date, you might give in sooner or later.’
I hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.
‘If you say “uh-huh” one more time?’
‘Fine, let’s get married—I trust you. You’ve kept me out of jail for five years.’
CAMIE
‘Everything is going to be fine sis,’ I said, staring at Kei, who was staring at me.
‘Shouldn’t I be the one telling you this?’ she smiled at me.
‘You’re the one getting married!’
‘You’re the one who’s freaking out!’
‘Guys, if you don’t hurry up—there’s going to be a mutiny out there,’ Currie said bossily, ‘now hurry up.’
It was only my second time in Rome, but already I’d been here for eight months.
Things with Johnie had become weird when I left and truthfully, I wasn’t sure that it was going to work out.
After one year of not talking to him though, he came back into my life stronger than ever.
And later on, we arranged to meet—instead of me surprising him.
The surprise was what happened when I got here.
The aisle was long and it gave me time to think.
I could see both Johnie and Sergio at the end, and I smiled at one of them, the love of my life.
As Kei went over to Sergio—no one suspecting that she was wearing Manchester United socks under her dress—I caught Johnie’s eye.
‘I love you,’ he whispered to me.
‘I love you too,’ I winked back at him, wanting the wedding to be over so I could kiss him again.
I touched my ring finger with my thumb—happy with feeling the gold of my wedding ring—and touched my stomach, I would tell him later.
KEI
It was funny sometimes, how life turns out.
Meeting Sergio had been a surprise at Camille’s wedding and the best man, getting to know the bridesmaid—it was too cliché to be real.
But it was real.
Three years they’d been married—three years I’d been wondering whether I could be the girlfriend, let alone wife, of a rising star in Italian football.
‘You’re not having second thoughts are you?’ Sergio asked, ‘pausing as he slid the ring onto my finger.’
‘And if I say yes?’
‘You know, I won’t trap you into something you don’t want... I just beg of you to think of the food.’
‘How was I lucky enough to have you?’
‘That’s my line.’
‘Before we start arguing, just put the ring on my finger—I want to be yours.’
‘Not feeling commitment-phobic?’
‘With you? Sergio—I feel like I’m free.’
And then I married him.
Memories won’t melt, I won’t forget Jed (who ended up marrying a nice girl and having four kids!!) or the other two boyfriends I had before Sergio.
But my future started now.
After the wedding...
‘Kei! Congratulations—introduce me to Sergio’s teammates!’
‘Currie, didn’t you just meet up with Poppo?’
‘I’m not going to burn bridges!’
‘Dyani, are you pregnant again?’
‘No, but I know you are!!!’
‘How did you know??’
‘Emily—is that a wedding ring on your finger?’
‘Naughty girl, you eloped didn’t you!’
‘Of course not! Armaud’s father won’t have it! It’s in eight months.’
And they would all meet again.
Not all people end up with their summer love or their childhood love.
Meeting that person who can make you happy and make you frustrated could come when you’re very young, when you’re very old, or more likely—sometime in between.
But fondly should be remembered the/ Lighter Side of Love/.
A/N: And so it has ended. Another kei!fic, aka blog series. It wasn’t as in depth or half as frequent as the others, but that is what happens with time. It seems like the hours of the day stay the same, but when we get older we need more and more of it. Peace out dear friends and readers :D Kei
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