Exiting their car, Caleb and Gloria paused as they looked at the hotel.
"Isn't this where the prom was held?" Gloria asked.
Caleb studied the building carefully, noting the banner welcoming the Class of 2021 back for their 20th reunion. The hotel and it's banquet hall was indeed the sight of the prom.
"Huh, looks like you're right," Caleb smirked. "Let's hope it's quieter than Prom night."
Gloria chuckled softly, taking a breath as the couple approached. It still seemed surreal for the woman that high school was 20 years ago. Life had flown by, Gloria and Caleb graduating from college, marrying, and eventually starting a family together. The last 20 years were amazing for Gloria. She was in charge of the Magic Shop now, operating the business successfully. For years she had helped others start their own stories, while also providing magical wares for her husband. However, as she approached, she worried that maybe she could have done more with her life.
"You okay Glo?"
Gloria glanced at her husband, the hunter dressed in a dark suit with his signature stetson.
"Yeah I think so," she said softly before sighing. "It's dumb though. I mean.. what is everyone up to after all these years? People probably moved on to be these amazing people! Here I am working at the same place I was working at in high school. Ugh...I feel like such a loser, plus I'm getting fat."
"You can't be serious." Caleb said in annoyance. Taking a moment he looked over the woman he had been with since he was 17 years old.
Gloria still looked phenomenal even after having three sons. If anything, he thought she looked better now. Gloria worked hard to maintain a fit physique, her stomach toned while her hips and rear now possessed ample curves with large, full breasts that border on D cups. Caleb even liked the subtle grey that had slowly invaded her golden blonde hair.
"I am Caleb," Gloria said firmly. "I mean look at me! My ass is too big, my stomach isn't flat anymore, hell I keep seeing more grey in my hair everyday. And don't even get me started on work."
"Glo," Caleb sighed, gently placing a hand on his wife's shoulder. "I'll be honest with you. You still look amazing, I've seen you turn heads for years. You're worrying over nothing, you look great. I don't know why you would be embarrassed. I guarantee everyone inside is old, fat, and boring and YOU are definitely not that."
"What about Felicia?"
"You seriously comparing yourself to the wife of a pro athlete who's worth 100 million dollars and is going to the Hall of Fame?" Caleb asked.
Gloria fidgeted, pursing her lips as she glared at Caleb. "Okay," she grumbled. "But what about Naomi? She's a best selling comic book author. She even sold the rights to one of her comics! We both loved the first season of Manga Girl on Prime."
Caleb sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Gloria was both excited and anxious since Caleb agreed to attend. "You spend too much time comparing yourself to others," he said. "We've built an amazing life together. Have a beautiful family, amazing jobs, and best of all...we're happy."
"Okay true, but it's not like I can post pictures or talk about it," Gloria countered. "I saw everybody else posting pictures of these amazing things in their life and here we are, appearing like the most boring couple in the world."
"Stop worrying about what others are doing Gloria," Caleb said softly. "Isn't that what we tell the boys?"
Gloria opened her mouth before closing it. She was being ridiculous and she knew it. She just hated admitting she was wrong. "Well I still think I look fat."
"You don't," Caleb grinned. "Now c'mon, let's go have fun."
Making their way inside, Caleb and Gloria began to mingle. Gloria quickly discovered her fears were unwarranted. Grey and balding couples, some having gained a significant amount of weight, some looking fitter than they did in high school. She even noticed a few people who had come alone speaking with each other, and she also saw one couple making out in the corner. Everyone showing off pictures of their children, others talking of their boring 9 to 5 jobs. After 30 minutes, Gloria and Caleb began to feel more comfortable.
"You want a drink?" Caleb asked.
"Rum and coke," Gloria replied. "I'll go find us a table." Caleb nodded, a sense of relief falling over him as he noticed Gloria relax. All of her fears of inadequacy were put to rest, Gloria realized finally that they were doing just fine. Making his way to the bar, Caleb signaled the bartender, ordering a whiskey on the rocks for himself as well as Gloria's drink. Tipping his hat, the hunter now took a moment to relax and sip his drink.
"Caleb!"
Caleb turned, a smile spreading across his face as Adam Haskins lumbered towards him. As impossible as it seemed, Adam seemed even larger than he was in high school. Standing at 6'4" and 230 lbs of muscle, the retired football player sported a thick beard with a few Grey's scattered in his sandy blonde hair.
"I'll be damned, Adam!" he said happily.
Adam grinned, squeezing his old friend in a tight embrace. "How've you been man?" Adam said excitedly. "Still in the family business?"
Caleb nodded, cracking his back after Adam's embrace. "Pretty much," he said. "How about you? Heard you might be getting a gold jacket soon?"
"Ah, I'm just happy to finally be home with Felicia and the kids," he blushed. "Fourteen years in the league can be brutal. Nice to be home with the girls."
"Know the feeling," Caleb replied. "Work always seems to keep me from Gloria and the boys."
Adam nodded, the man sporting a wide grin as he leaned closer.
"You'll never guess who I ran into." he said. Caleb shrugged, wondering who Adam could have met only for him to beckon someone closer. Caleb's expression became stoic as he noticed Duke now approached.
"Duke."
"Caleb."
Caleb remained quiet, studying the dhamphir carefully. Duke looked to be in tremendous shape. Dhamphirs aged slower once they reached maturity, meaning Duke had the appearance of a man in his late twenties or early thirties.
"You look good Duke." Caleb stated.
"Was going to say the same." Duke replied.
"We both know that's bullshit," Caleb smirked. "I got some city miles on me." Duke chuckled, the tension effectively broken. Still, the old friends remained quiet, uncertain of what to say next.
"Ugh, really you two," Adam groaned. "This is supposed to be a fun night and you two want to just sit in silence. That's it we're doing shots!"
Caleb and Duke now tried to protest, only for Adam to shut down any protests.
"No buts!" he said, ordering three shots of tequila. "This is a reunion. We're not here to air old grievances, we're here to reconnect with each other. Now, get them shots up and let's toast to the Class of 2021."
Duke and Caleb could do little more than shrug, throwing their shots back with a shudder as Adam ordered another round. Whether they liked it or not, Adam was going to make them have a good time.
**************************************
Gloria sighed, idly glancing around the banquet hall. It still seemed odd that she should be back in the place she had once been prom queen. She certainly didn't feel like that now. If anything, she felt out of place around people she hadn't had contact with in 20 years. Curiously she now placed a video call to her sister Lynne, wondering how her baby sister was handling babysitting her boys.
As the video call began, Gloria now gazed at the gorgeous auburn haired 22 year old. Lynne Turner looking a bit frazzled. "Hey Lynne, how are the boys?"
"Ugh, don't these kids ever sit down?" Lynne groaned. "Hank finally fell asleep but David and Marcus are freaking bouncing off the wall."
Gloria chuckled, finding her sister's plight amusing. Hank was only a year and a half old. Of all of Gloria's children he was proving to be the easiest. David, age five, and Marcus, age three, were rambunctious, active children. Already, Caleb began training them to be the next generation of hunters. They were good kids, but could be overwhelming for a sitter. After all, with a plethora of NERF guns, it was only a matter of time before they would unleash a barrage of darts with uncanny accuracy.
"Thank God Garrett is good with kids," Lynne continued. "But he's almost as bad as they are! Do you have any idea how many times I've been shot in the ass tonight?!"
"No clue," Gloria chuckled. "Just tell the boys that I said it's past their bedtime and that I'll be very upset if they argue."
"Easier said than done," Lynne grumbled. "So how's the reunion?"
"Okay, I guess." Gloria shrugged. Lynne nodded, only to wince as Garret, David, and Marcus now unleashed a hail of darts at the distracted Lynne. The giggles of the trio, causing Lynne to curse loudly.
"Damn it, knock it off!" Lynne screamed.
"Looks like you got your hands full," Gloria smirked. "Caleb and I should be home in a few hours. Don't let yourself get too worked up over the boys." The sisters now said their goodbyes.
"Alright, I've had it, prepare for return fire!" Gloria heard her kid sister now yell with a smirk as she held up her own NERF gun once more as the video call ended. Obviously, Lynne still had a lot to learn about kids. Especially if she was serious when it came to her new boyfriend.
"Gloria?"
Gloria glanced up from her phone, gasping as she gazed at the dark haired woman in front of her.
"Sasha?!"
Sasha offered a small wave, the two old friends silent for a moment. Sasha and Gloria hadn't spoken in years. After the confrontation at the hospital after Connor Moreland's attack, the friends drifted. Eventually, they stopped talking altogether. For the two old friends, there was a sadness about the rift that formed between them. Gloria was Sasha's best friend in high school, the pair close before falling out.
"How have you been?" Sasha asked softly.
"Good," Gloria said quickly, the pair awkwardly staring at one another. "H...how are you?"
"Good." Sasha said quickly, flashing an awkward smile. Gloria simply nodded, the silence between the pair awkward and strenuous.
"Um, why don't you sit down?" Gloria said awkwardly, Sasha thanking her old friend as she sat down.
"So how's Duke?" Gloria asked.
"Good," Sasha smiled. "He works as an EMT now. How about Caleb? How's he doing?"
"Good," Gloria replied. "Still busy with...work. He just had a job not too long ago out on some farm or something. What about you? What's your line of work?"
"Me? Oh, well after I graduated and thanks to Duke's inheritance from his late mother, I was able to open up and own a few garages across the state. 'Sampson's Garage', get it? Figured I'd name it after dad."
"Oh, yeah, that's...that's clever." Gloria replied with a nod.
Sasha nodded, the awkwardness of their small talk not helping to ease the tension. Gloria now cleared her throat, hoping to find something to talk about.
"Do you still talk with your....extended family?" Gloria asked hoping it wouldn't bring up any bad blood.
"Yes, they're all good. We...visit them sometimes or we have one of the kids visit us." Sasha said as Gloria quietly nodded and left it at that.
"So who were you talking with?" Sasha asked.
"Oh that was Lynne," Gloria said. "She's babysitting our boys tonight. Can you believe she's a college graduate now?"
"That is wild," Sasha replied. "I still remember when she was a rugrat herself. Even crazier is hearing you have kids. How many?"
"Three," Gloria grinned, now showing off a picture of her children to Sasha. "David is five, Marcus is three, and Hank is a year and a half." Sasha awed, noticing the blonde haired boys smiling out from a recent picture. It amazed her how much they looked like Caleb.
"How about you Sasha? Any kids?"
"Frankie," Sasha replied, a wide, warm smile spreading across her face as she dug into her purse. "He's two."
Gloria gasped, astonished by the beautiful toddler who was Sasha and Dukes son. Frankie was a perfect combination of the pair. He looked very much like his father, having his parents dark hair while possessing Sasha's vibrant blue eyes.
"He's beautiful Sasha."
Sasha thanked Gloria, the tension slowly easing between the pair as they talked of their children. Despite their previous issues, they could at least talk comfortably about their children.
"Sasha! Gloria!"
The pair turned, stunned to see Felicia, Adam's wife, now approached. Felicia was gorgeous, her body fit and firm despite the baby bump the blonde sported.
"Felicia!" they said in awe. "Oh my god! Hi! How are you?"
"Be a lot better when this kid is out," Felicia grumbled, easing herself into a chair. "I told Adam that this is the last one."
"How many kids do you have?" Sasha asked.
"This makes four," Felicia stated, patting her stomach. "Adam wants a son. After three girls, we gave it one more try. Regardless, whether it's a boy or girl I am done."
"I'm sorry did you say four?!" Gloria exclaimed. Felicia nodded, both Sasha and Gloria studying the blonde carefully. Felicia looked amazing, her only noticeable weight from her baby bump. She looked like a fitness model, not someone who had carried three children before this one. An immediate frown now crossed Sasha and Gloria's faces. Felicia was obviously the kind of woman who never put on baby weight after pregnancy.
"Felicia," Sasha said. "No offense but I hate you. After giving birth to Franklin it took me forever to drop the baby weight."
"Yeah I'm with Sasha on this one," Gloria added. "Three pregnancy's later and I'm up three dress sizes. Still trying to lose weight around my stomach and thighs."
"Hey, I had to work really hard to lose the baby weight." Felicia countered.
"What did you do? skip breakfast one day?" Sasha replied sarcastically. Gloria laughed, the trio finding it contagious as they began to talk.
"Girls it's great catching up," Gloria smiled. "But, where are our husbands?"
Felicia smirked, now pointing towards the bar. Standing or more specifically swooning were Caleb, Duke, and Adam. Obviously the three men had drank a bit too much, drunkenly laughing and talking a bit too loudly as they continued to drink. Whatever issues that may have existed erased by a copious amount of alcohol.
"I'll be damned," Sasha said softly, a small grin spreading across her face. "Didn't think I'd ever see that again."
"Me either." Gloria added.
"And that's why I love Adam," Felicia replied, Gloria and Sasha turning to the woman. "Adam may not be a dhamphir or a super skilled demon hunter, but he's always had the biggest heart. He's been determined to get everyone back together since he retired. Guess it worked out."
Sasha and Gloria now looked between their husband's and each other, a small smile spreading across their faces. After so many years apart, them coming together like this felt right. Maybe, after so many years, they could finally start over.