To Set You Free

"What do I wear?" I ask Annie frantically as I start to pull random articles of clothing out of my closet. "I don't want to look like a mom."

"Well, you don't own any mom jeans so I'd say you're good with whatever," Annie's voice hinted about how she felt that I agreed to go meet Tommy somewhere.

I pull off an old t-shirt that I had been wearing and slip on a black tank top followed by a tan lace shirt. "How about this?"

"Looks great," Annie says without looking up from the nails she is inspecting.

I look at myself in my full length mirror after putting on some jewelry and heels. "I look so fat!"

"Are you kidding?" This time Annie raises her head to look me up and down. "You're like a hundred pounds."

"Well I was like eighty the last time I saw him."

"You were royally fucked up in the head and didn't have two kids back then. You have a reason to be at a semi healthy weight."

I looked in the mirror. I am proud of myself for being able to keep on the weight. I do look good. I give a big sigh. "You're right. Thanks for being here."

"And I'll be here when you need a shoulder to cry on," Annie jumped off my head and gave me a quick hug.

"Wyatt, Kinleigh!" I yell as I make my way out into the living room.

Both kids come running towards me. "I have to go do something, Annie is here to watch you, okay?"

They looked disappointed that I wasn't going to be able to tuck them into bed. I don't get to do that a lot because I am always working. I pout my lip out before bending to give them each a hug. "I'll be back before you know it. I love you."

"Love you," they both say in unison.

*

Henry's is a popular bar and grille in the center of town. I picked that place because one, there is no emotional attachment and two, there would be a lot of people there who wanted to talk to him.

I knew Tommy is already here when I spotted an expensive looking car in the parking lot with a rental sticker. I pulled up beside it and quickly made my way inside. It had gotten cold since I first got into the car.

The hostess smiled as I pulled the heavy oak door open. "Hi how many?"

"Um, I'm meeting somebody here. Last name Van Pierce?"

"Oh, you must be Elena. Right this way."

I followed the girl through a crowd of people and into a smaller room that is normally reserved for large parties. However Tommy was the only one in the room. My plan for him to be sidetracked by people obviously failed.

"The waiter will be with you shortly," The hostess said before leaving quickly.

Tommy stood as I walked towards the table. "You look great," he said while pulling me into a hug.

"You look almost exactly the same. More tattoos and you finally have some muscle," I joked. He used to always complain about not having enough muscle definition.

"I try. You, wow," Tommy is holding my by my waist at arms length to look at all of me. I begin to feel self conscious. "You look amazing. Really healthy."

"I am. I'm off all medication. I finally have my life on track. It slipped up a little when my mom passed but I got right back up. I'm finally happy," I say as he releases me to pull out my chair for me.

"That's good. I'm sorry about your mom. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't have your number."

"Thats not true. I called and left you a message that my number is changed like four months after I left."

"I changed my number too."

"I know, I tried calling you," Tommy laughed lightly, probably feeling uncomfortable.

I looked up at him from my menu. He was smiling, staring right back at me. "What?" I smiled shyly.

"I just can't get over how good you look. I worried about you, you know? How did you do it? How did you get better?"

This was it. I could tell him some ridiculous lie or I could... "I got pregnant."

"What?" Tommy choked a little.

Now it was time to lie. "Yeah, shortly after you left, I kind of got knocked up. Nine months, actually seven and a half months later I had twins. A boy and a girl."

"Let me guess, Wyatt and Kinleigh," Tommy and I would spend hours talking about what we would name our kids. I had two names picked out if I ever had children; Wyatt and Kinleigh.

"Bingo," I laugh lightly. "Once I found out I was pregnant I freaked out. I was only seventeen. I didn't have a job, the father wasn't in the picture, my mom was still on her way to drinking herself to death, but I ran into your mom. I told her what happened and she gave me a job. After that everything fell into place and it was like a light switch got switched on, I no longer felt the way I did. I'm just happy, with everything, because of my kids."

"Wow, my mom?"

"Probably just glad that we weren't together anymore."

"Probably," He laughed at my joke. If only he knew the real reason.

Dinner came and it ceased our talking. Occasionally Tommy or I would say something about the past but for the most part we ate in silence.

Once both Tommy and I were finished with our dinners and the plates were collected, Tommy motioned towards the box. "Why did you never go get your moms stuff out of her house?"

"Too hard I guess? Will you open it? I don't think I can."

"Of course," Tommy stands and walks to the table beside us. He opens the flaps and peers inside the cardboard box.

Tommy reaches his hand inside and pulls out a stack of pictures. He smiles as he goes through them. I could tell that they were bringing up old memories, so I knew that he had to be in some of them. "Look at this," Tommy held out a picture. I remember that day clearly. He was taking me on our first date.

"Look at us! We were so young. I was so embarrassed that she was taking pictures."

Tommy held up another picture of us. It was his senior prom. The night that I lost my virginity. "That was a really good night."

"You remember that night! You were hammered for most of it."

"How could I not remember that night. I deflowered you," Tommy laughed. My face got red and hot.

"Don't say that," I smack his arm with the picture I was holding.

"What deflower? Would you rather I say took your virginity? Your V-card?" Tommy laughed harder as my face got even more red.

"Oh shoot me now," I laugh.

"It was a good night, really. It was the night that I told you I loved you."

I smiled, the butterflies I used to feel with him, found their way back into the pit of my stomach. "It was a good night, wasn't it?"

Tommy is looking at me with those chocolate eyes and his pretty boy smile. I have to bite my bottom lip in order for me not to do anything stupid.

"You feel that?" He asks.

"Feel what?" I play dumb. I know that he is talking about the electricity between. It's strong enough to shock anybody dead.

Tommy now stands over me, and I am looking up at him. We are both lost in our little world, just how it used to me. I know that we both weren't thinking when Tommy puts his lips on mine and I wrap my arms around his neck as we both remember how much we liked the past.