Dedicating this chapter to my Wattpad friend Jerace2, go & check out her awesome stories.. :) <3

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CHAPTER - 5

TIME FLIES

"Time goes by so fast, people come in and go out of our lives; we think that nothing has changed, but the truth is everything changes."

Two & a Half Years Later

Few meters away from me, I saw my teammates doing what I should have been doing right now, but here I was watching them from a distance, cursing myself and my sleeping habits. Very discreetly, I took slow steps towards my mates in an attempt to get unnoticed by our substitute evil coach. Though fate had completely other plans; my shoes and the grass underneath them had secretly conspired to make some noise and gather the attention of the bulky man standing a few feet away from me.

"Warren!" Coach Paul barked, making me stop dead in my tracks.

"Damn shoes!" I cursed under my breath and turned to face Coach Paul, who was glaring at me with those menacing black eyes which can make even an Alpha wolf back out in a major fight. I gave him my innocent, charming smile which took just a split second to change into a grimace when I looked at him taking long strides towards me. "Good morning, Coach," I greeted, in an attempt to change his mood.

"Good afternoon, Warren," he corrected me, stressing on 'afternoon'.

I looked at the sky above and sure enough, the sun was directly above my head, making me shut my eyes in reflex. "Um... yeah... noon," I managed to say as I looked back at him.

"You are late, Warren," he told me in a very stern voice.

No sh*t, Sherlock! "Yes, coach," I said, trying to make myself look guilty of committing the crime of being late for this workout session in the middle of December.

"Care to enlighten me with the reason, captain?" he asked in a very taunting voice, stressing on 'captain'.

'As if, you wouldn't want to know, if I say no,' I thought but didn't say out loud. "I stopped for a Bagel sandwich; the store was robbed and the police required everyone to stay for questioning," I answered with the most serious face known to mankind.

He looked at me skeptically and narrowed his black eyes at me. "You gave the same excuse last week, Warren! Which store is this that gets robbed every week?" he yelled, obviously catching my lie.

I heard a few sniggers of my teammates from behind me and a frown made its way on my face. "I did?" I asked. "Okay, let me think of something new then," I offered.

This made the sniggers from behind change into laughter. I turned around to look at my teammates and spotted my best friend, Adam, who could not wake me up like every morning because he was at some girl's place for the night and came directly here. He was shaking his head at me and laughing. I smirked and winked at him, which only made him laugh louder.

"Twenty rounds, Warren!" Coach yelled in my ear, making me wince and lose my hearing ability temporarily.

"Yes, Coach." I mock saluted and ran off before he could make my hearing disability permanent.

After a gruesome workout session, we started departing towards the locker room when Coach Paul called for me in his trademark yelling style, "Warren!"

I went towards him. "Yes, Coach?"

He sighed heavily and said, "You do realize that you've a big responsibility on your shoulders, Warren. You are the Captain; the team looks up to you. This was the last day of the session and you should have been on time."

I felt guilty and nodded. "Sorry, Coach."

His lips broke into a little smile and he said, "Enjoy your vacations, Warren."

Giving him a tight lipped smile, I said, "You too, Coach." I jogged my way to the changing room and immediately spotted Adam.

Adam McCarty; my best friend since we were in our diapers. We were and are still referred as inseparable; after all we have been together in everything we have done in our lives. Neighbors, same elementary school, same high school, popular jocks, same college, same dreams, roommates; we were like twins not the identical ones. He had golden curls and green eyes; while I had brown hair and dark blue eyes. The looks didn't matter much because the girls loved both of us.

His eyes landed on me and he chuckled while wearing his T-shirt. "What did he have to say now?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes and replied, "Let me freshen up quickly and meet me outside."

He mock saluted and said, "Aye, aye Captain!"

Once I got freshened up, I exited the smelly changing room to meet Adam and spotted him waiting for me in the parking lot. "So?" he asked, once I reached him.

"You do realize that you've a big responsibility on your shoulders, Warren. You are the Captain; the team looks up to you. This was the last day of the session and you should have been on time." I mocked Coach's gruff voice making Adam laugh. "It was better when Coach Russel was here." I sighed.

Coach Russel had been our coach since the beginning of our freshman year and he was a phenomenal coach, a perfect guide, friend and a great adviser. He was on leave for Christmas and Coach Paul was his substitute till then. Football was the only thing that's more important to me after my family and Adam. Coach Russel knew that and seeing my hard work all this time, he made me the Captain of the team. I respected that man, a lot.

Then there was Coach Paul, who just searched for opportunities to snap at me in front of the whole team. I was not saying this just for the sake of saying or defending myself; he actually yelled at me a few days back when I got a cramp in my foot and couldn't practice. He was nuts.

"I agree." Adam's voice brought me back from my thoughts. "But, whatever you and the team may say about Coach Paul, I just love one thing about him," he said, smirking devilishly.

"Ah! Really? I didn't knew you were gay," I joked, which earned me a playful punch on my arm and I just laughed it off. "What is it?" I asked, laughing.

"Warren!" Adam mimicked Coach Paul perfectly, making me laugh more and soon he joined me.

"Yeah, it's like he is calling every Warren in the country. I swear, that man can make my whole family run, just by the way he yells my last name," I joked.

I unlocked my car and sat in the driver's seat while Adam sat in the passenger seat beside me. "So, bagel sandwich, huh?" he asked, chuckling.

Laughing, I said, "I really need to search for new ones." I turned off the ignition and started the car.

"How is it going with Emily?" he asked.

I glanced at him and found him completely interested in his phone. "She is too clingy, man," I replied in a tired voice.

He snapped his head to look at me and said, "It's just been four days, dude!"

I chuckled at his expressions and mocked him, "You do the same thing, dude!" He rolled his eyes and got back to concentrate on his phone. I sped outside the parking lot and said, "I get bored too easily."

This made him laugh and he said, "I am a player too, Keith, but I try to be in a relationship. Remember, I had one constant girlfriend this year for two months and I didn't even cheat on her. I really wonder if you'll even settle down in life." I knew he was kidding but what he said was true. I just could not settle for one girl; I guess, I had commitment issues, but I never even found a girl with whom I would like to get committed. Some had nice eyes, some had nice lips, some had hot body and what not, but all I could think about those girls was playing around with them. It's not that I hurt any of them because those girls too were looking for the same thing as me. So, no harm done to anyone.

"What are your plans for Christmas?" Adam asked.

"Going back home. Hailey is coming over with Brian for two weeks and I plan to spend this time with them before she gets married," I told him. Hailey was my elder sister, older to me by four years and she was getting married in two months to Brian, her college sweetheart and I was really looking forward to meeting my family and spending two weeks with them. "What about you?" I asked him and took a left turn towards our apartment.

"As you just said that my sister is visiting home, isn't it obvious that I'll go to meet her?" he asked in mock offense.

A chuckle escaped my lips and I said, "My bad!"

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It was a day before Christmas and we were leaving for Hendersonville in a while. I had already packed and placed my bag in the living area of our shared apartment, while Adam was in his room cursing loudly; probably at his clothes or shoes or suitcase, it could be anything.

"I hate packing!" Adam groaned as he came out of his room with a furious expression on his face and his suitcase in his hand.

"I hate unpacking," I said, grinning.

"Damn, f*cking suitcase!" he cursed some more words directed towards the suitcase and kept it with mine in the living area. I just laughed. I knew him too well to be amused by his snappy behavior while packing.

I spotted a Playboy magazine kept at the counter and an unknown smile came to my lips. Adam followed my gaze and went towards the counter to pick it up. He pulled the magazine near his chest like a prized possession and said, "It's a one hour drive, I'll get bored." I chuckled as he kept it above his suitcase.

"Let's grab a bite before leaving," I suggested and he quickly nodded.

"Keith, I've noticed something about you," he said, looking at me skeptically.

"What?" I asked, frowning a bit.

"Whenever you see or hear someone talk about Playboy magazine, your face lights up and not in the way a guy's face should light up seeing this-," he said, pointing towards the magazine's cover which had a hot nude model on it and continued, "-but in a way like you have some memory attached to it or some sh*t like that."

I chuckled heartedly and told him, "Adam, I'm so glad that you've never seen me use a c0ndom." I watched as his skeptical look changed to that of utter confusion and disgust which made me laugh. "I need food. Let's go!" I exclaimed, completely ignoring Adam's confused expressions.

We left our suitcases in our apartment and decided to pick them after having lunch. We locked our apartment and started moving towards the diner at the end of the street. It was a famous diner and was usually crowded because of its great food.

While taking those few steps towards the diner, my thoughts drifted towards the brown-eyed brunette, I had met two and a half years ago. I never met her again, though I did find myself thinking about her on a few occasions; not the way I think about the other girls, but the way I think about her only. She was fun, even though we had just spent a night together; the night that I still call as the best night of my life. Whenever I spotted a brunette about five feet and six inches of height and a bit tomboyish, I always found myself double checking if it was Kimberly. She never was. It had been two and a half years and honestly, I had lost all hope of seeing her again. I had lost hope of making her my friend; the only girl I could call a friend. I guess, it was not a part of God's plan, as she had said.

We stepped in the diner, only to find it completely crowded. Even our usual table was occupied by an elderly couple.

"Takeaway looks like a better option right now," I mumbled, looking around the sitting area of the diner. "If we wait, we'll be late," I told him and we both chuckled at the rhyme I just created.

"We are so not getting a takeaway," he said with a sly smile, looking right past me. I knew him too well to know that he just spotted a hot chick in this crowded place; in this case, two hot chicks as he said 'we' and not 'I'. "2'o clock," he whispered the famous code and instantly, I turned in that direction.

Sure, there were two very hot girls wearing very hot attires and very flirtatious smiles directed towards my friend and me. Without any direction from our brains, our legs started moving towards them; it was like a reflex, it happened every time we spotted hot girls and trust me, nobody could stop that reflex action.

"Blonde," I whispered, loud enough for Adam to hear.

"Good. I had my eyes on the redhead," he whispered back.

Once we reached their table, we noticed the happy expressions on their faces and said in unison, "Hello girls." In response, the girls swooned and looked at us with dazed eyes. We had that effect on girls.

"May we?" Adam asked, looking at the redhead.

"S-sure," she stuttered. Adam sat with her across the blonde and me.

We sat, chatted and ate our lunch with them. The blonde's name was Emma and red-haired girl was Ashley. Flirting was the only thing that was constant on our table the entire time.

Adam's intentional throat clearing voice made me look at him and on cue my phone vibrated, indicating a new message, definitely from my best friend.

I opened the message and it read, 'Dude, we're so going to get some. Let's postpone the travelling by two hours.'

I rolled my eyes at the message and looked up at Adam to find him engrossed in flirting with Ashley. I replied, 'Not possible.'

He knew not to argue anymore. My family was the most important thing in my life. I could get many such girls in Hendersonville, but meeting my family was the most important agenda on my mind right now. No girl could change it.

Adam looked at me with disappointment and made a face, showing that he was mad at me because of my decision. I just rolled my eyes and held back a chuckle at my friend's childish behavior.

"Geez! Is the entire Nashville having lunch here?" A loud, shocked voice made everyone in the diner look at the owner of the voice, who was definitely a girl.

I tilted my head to my left to look at the girl who apparently managed to gather everyone's attention in an instant. My eyes widened in complete surprise and my mouth gaped open as I looked at the girl standing a few feet away from me. Same dark brown hair tied up in the same way, same button nose, same brown eyes looking around the diner in disappointment and annoyance. I could not believe my eyes. 'You are day dreaming,' I told myself.

I stood up from my seat to have a clear look at her and stop myself from daydreaming, but apparently I was not doing that. The girl standing at the entrance of the restaurant was the girl I had met two and a half years ago.

"Kim?" I said, but it came out as a question. My voice was normal, but it sounded loud enough for everyone sitting in this place to hear, making all heads snap towards me.

Her brown orbs landed on me and I watched as her expressions slowly mirrored my expressions of disbelief and surprise. I could not believe that I was meeting Kim in Nashville, in a crowded restaurant and all I could think when I looked at her face, her dressing style, her hairstyle, her features was, 'Some things never change.'

"C**dom-man!" she said very loudly, resulting in eruption of many collective loud gasps in the diner and making me face-palm myself.

In this case, it was the nickname she had kept for me.

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A/N -

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This story reached #46 on Humor list on 23/3/2013..:) Thanks for your constant support & I hope you all will continue to support this story, while I write the next chapter, which is going to be extremely amusing and exciting and funny, trust me! :D

Thanks! <3

3rd Jan 2016 - Edited! :)