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Homecoming

Drew stood on the front porch of the familiar house on Sunset Terrace, gifts tucked under his arm. As eager as he had been to get out and see the world after graduating from high school, he always found himself glad to be home again. Particularly when it involved seeing his best friends again.

Sam, Drew, and Katrina had become fast friends after meeting in their freshman English class, and had been separable all throughout high school. They’d dreamed about seeing the world together, but an accidental pregnancy after a drunken night together had ended that dream quickly. Sam and Katrina got married and settled down, leaving Drew to forge his path in the world alone.

They stayed in touch over the years, mostly via text and email, with Drew returning home to visit one or twice a year. He’d always bring some local treat from wherever in the world he had just come, and the three of them would share it over dinner, board games, and a late night of stories and laughter.

Drew knew there was something amiss the moment Katrina answered the door alone. Her blonde hair up in a ponytail and wearing an oversized sweatshirt with leggings, there was a sadness to her tonight.

“Hey, Drew.”

“Good to see you, Kat.”

“Come on in.”

The house was darker and quieter than he remembered. By now there would usually be a teenager bounding down the stairs demanding to know what he had brought her from his latest trip.

“Where are Sam and Sierra?”

“Sierra’s staying with her father this weekend.”

It took Drew a moment to register the fact that Katrina had just referred to Sam as Sierra’s father.

“What happened?”

“He decided that he wanted a different life,” Katrina said, oddly detached. “Said there were too many things that he still wanted to do with his life, that it wasn’t fair that he’d never had the chance to get out there and see what the rest of the world had to offer. That was almost a year ago, not long after your last visit. He got a place in the city and sees Sierra one weekend a month. We finalized the divorce a couple months ago.”

Drew dropped the gifts he was still holding onto the couch and pulled Katrina into his arms.

“I’m so sorry,” was all he could manage to say.

“I’m okay,” Katrina replied. “Really. Part of me always wondered if the only reason we stayed together was for Sierra, and I guess I finally got my answer. Once she became a teenager and started to have her own life, he didn’t want one with me anymore.”

“He’s an idiot.” Drew muttered.

“I appreciate the moral support,” Katrina chuckled.

Drew took a step back and put his hands on her shoulders, looking deeply into her eyes.

“No, I mean it. I’ve spent the past fifteen years traveling all over, ‘seeing what the rest of the world has to offer.’ It doesn’t even compare to what’s right here in this house.”

She looked at him, skeptical. “Really? Mr. Award-Winning Photojournalist, who’s been around the world more times than I can count, seeing wonders of the world that the rest of us will only ever experience through the photos you bring back? Who’s never dated anyone seriously because he’s probably having too much fun hooking up with cover models and socialites?”

“Another way to look at that,” Drew said softly. “Is that I’ve never been in a committed relationship because the only person I’ve ever truly wanted was the one person I couldn’t have. And everything else in my life has been a painfully inferior consolation prize to never having a place to call home.”

Drew pulled her in for a kiss. Katrina gave in, her body melting into his. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, pulling him closer as one of his hands pressed against her lower back, holding her tightly. Fifteen years of repressed feelings and passion flooded out of Drew, and Katrina responded in kind. After a long moment, they finally broke apart.

“Sorry,” Drew muttered, noticing Katrina seemed a little overwhelmed by it all. “I’m moving too fast. It’s just ... I ... I’ve loved you since high school, Kat. I always wanted to tell you, but then you and Sam got pregnant after that party and decided to stay together and I knew there was never going to be a good time to--”

“Shh,” she said, “You don’t have anything to apologize for. And you’re not the only one who’s spent the past fifteen years wondering what might have been.”

Katrina started unbuttoning Drew’s shirt. She took her time, caressing his muscular chest as she worked her way down the column of buttons. By the time she reached his waist, there was a sizable bulge in his jeans. She caressed it gently, smiling at the sharp intake of breath it elicited from Drew. Taking his hand, she guided it under her baggy sweatshirt so he could cup her breast, fingers grazing against the erect nipple and evoking a reciprocal gasp from her.

He leaned forward and kissed her on her collarbone, working his way slowly and methodically up her neck and along her jaw, returning to her waiting, eager lips.

“You always wanted to see the world,” Drew breathed between kisses. “Let me show it to you. Anywhere you and Sierra want to go, we’ll all go together.”

“Yes,” Katrina moaned. “But first, I want you to have a place to call home. Come to bed with me.”

Breaking away, Katrina took Drew’s hand and led him toward the stairs.

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940 words

Written For: "The Weekly Quickie Contest"

Prompt: The Ex Mess, aka don't date your friend's ex. Starting off with one of the more obvious ones from the code. It is common knowledge that you're not supposed to date an ex-girlfriend (or boyfriend) of a friend, no matter how amicable the split. But sometimes it's worth pissing off a mate, right? Let's see what happens when the character violates this particular bro code.

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