Old Friend

Fireworks (Part 2)

"So what kind of work do you do again? Physical therapy?" Ayesha asks.

"Yep. I'm a physical therapist at the UCLA rehab center," Angela replies while nodding her head.

"Oh, nice! How long have you worked there?"

Angela had to think. "For about... three years now? Yeah, um, started working there right out of college."

"Well, wasn't that convenient? Right out of college. Nice," Ayesha responds.

"Yes it was. What about you? Um, what kind of work do you do?"

"Well, I'm a chef. Not big time or anything, but I help my aunt with her restaurant."

"She's being modest," Steph butts in, joining the conversation. He's been awfully quiet, just sitting in his lawn chair with his fingers entangled with his wife's, and staring passively at Angela. "She's actually the co-owner of the restaurant, and she makes some really tasty food." Steph smirks at Ayesha.

Ayesha leans into him with a grin, then averts her attention back to Angela. "I only make a few of the appetizers and the desserts."

"That sounds great," Angela enthuses. "How long has the restaurant been open? And where did you learn to cook?"

"Well, it's been open since we got married. 5 years now." Ayesha faces Steph with a sweet smile; they looked as if they were about to kiss. She quickly faces Angela again. "And I didn't go to culinary school or anything... I basically learned from my mom and my aunt and my grandma. I used to watch them in the kitchen when I was little; I'd help them make different dishes and serve them on huge plates. That was my cooking degree," she giggles.

Angela smiles and replies, "That's awesome. So... how did you two meet in the first place?" She held her breath; she didn't really wanna know the details of their relationship, but she was trying to be a good guest and engage in conversation. She already knew a few facts from what Steph had said about her in college on that fateful day, but she wanted to hear it from Ayesha.

"Aww, the story! Do you wanna tell it or should I?" Ayesha asks Steph in an animated voice.

At that moment, Seth and Sydel who were still chilling around the bonfire with them and scrolling through their phones, looked up with a knowing grin. They slowly rise up from their seats, stretching and yawning.

"Oh, the story," Seth says with boredom. "We've heard this one a few times..."

"Or three... or four," Sydel adds, cheesing at Ayesha.

"Oh, you guys. I don't tell the story that much, do I?" Ayesha asks them.

They both nod and grin.

"Don't let her bore you too much, okay? You can politely leave the conversation," Sydel jokingly says to Angela. 

"Hey!" Ayesha squints her eyes at Sydel, pointing her finger and scrunching up her nose. "Angela is a polite guest, unlike you. She would love to hear my story, right Angela?"

Angela raises her eyebrows and slowly nods her head. Sydel and Seth laugh while treading inside the house. Steph smiles a little and scratches his head. When they're gone from view, Ayesha turns back around in her seat and groans.

"Ugh, that little rascal. So rude, isn't she?"

Angela could tell she was half joking so she let out a small chuckle.

"Anyway, back to the story. So..." Ayesha grinned real wide while looking at Steph. "We've known each other since we were babies. We went to the same church and the same public schools. We started dating in high school... and we made this promise, this promise that we would always be together." She giggled before continuing. "It might sound naive... like how do you know what the future holds? But we just knew - or at least I knew that he was my soulmate."