Me, You, and Mason

18

It was July. Finally. A month that was eagerly awaited as the dawn of new beginnings.

Sage was hard at work, putting together a show worth experiencing for the showcase. Reconnecting with the musicians he'd met during his time as Dime's bass player, Sage assembled his own band for the occasion.

Between jam sessions and rehearsals, he'd invited them to the 4th of July bash, organized by Ken and a couple of other friends. With a DJ, food, and of course fireworks, it was set to be an evening filled with good vibes fit for a family function.

They rolled deep, carrying bottles and herbs as party favors. Not to mention, Dime and his entourage too.

The motto of the night was: The more, the merrier (as long as nobody did nothin' stupid).

And the function was, indeed, merry. But such a fact wouldn't be accepted until the special women in both Kenrō and Sage's lives arrived. Their heads had been on swivels all day because of it, an air of eagerness swamping them both.

And all the while, Darcy was finally catching up with Aria to extend the invite.

The two had rarely seen each other since their exchange of words over Aria's omelette.

Between Aria's long hours at the bookstore, sourcing more materials for her business, and piecing together some sense of romance within the brief coffee shop run-ins she'd imagined as rendezvous— not to mention her frequent outings with Jay and Eric— she was rarely home these days.

With Darcy's ambitions being split between her job and her newly official relationship, there weren't enough hours in the day to nurture anything more than romance. Maybe her writing was an exception, when she had a few moments, but even her most beloved hobby had taken a backseat.

After all, why write about love when you can call and have it delivered right to your bed?

New love had breathed new life into her day-to-day, and for the first time in a while, Darcy felt as if she'd escaped the loop of monotony.

She wasn't the only one.

Aria felt like she was shaping a life that restored a sense of normalcy— as normal as it could be after Dani's unfortunate passing. It was in finding joy in the smallest things and leaning on people like Jay and Eric that she started to feel like herself again.

This Fourth of July would build on to that as she looked forward to the whole gang finally being together for their usual holiday tradition.

Although the boys were "terrible through and through," which she reminded them of often, they were her best company. The brothers she always wished she'd had. Dealing with snide remarks about being Darcy's lap dog was just part of it, especially once it became evident that Aria had been put on the outs of Darcy's life for the favor of a man, yet again.

She almost started to believe it, too... until Darcy invited her to a day party at a park for the holiday.

Such a party was filled with laughter and music. The grill master already had an assortment ready to eat, and the DJ had gotten deep into a flow of music that blended like spices. Fireworks were on standby and so were water guns, which Ken had playfully threatened to use against the likes of anyone letting the July heat boil their blood.

But as Sage strapped up too, filling his plastic pistol at a hose bibb, he wondered if he'd have to use his defenses against Ken himself, who was notorious for not following his own rules.

Including the rule: no inviting exes to the function.

In strutted Jamilah, who announced her arrival with "The party can start now, y'all! I'm here, have no fear!".