Back to Us: Episode 3 – And So It Begins
DIANA
I saw my friends huddled in a corner the moment I got in front of Bellyful’s picture windows.
My girl Kelli gestured over Serenity’s shoulder. Serenity’s back was facing the door until our friend pointed toward me.
A big smile spread across Serenity’s face the moment she turned and her eyes landed on mine. Instantly, I was glad I hadn’t backed out of coming tonight.
I was late, but not too late—about fifteen minutes. I had been dressed and ready at my condo, boots on and everything, but when I got to my front door, I found it impossible to open.
“Finally!” Serenity said as she approached. She looked stunning in an all-white sweater dress paired with taupe thigh-high boots. “Girl, you are late.”
Back at my condo, ten minutes before 7 p.m., I’d pulled out my phone and typed up a message I planned to send to Serenity, apologizing that I wouldn’t make it because I’d suddenly fallen ill.
I typed and edited the message so many times, I grew frustrated with myself.
“I’m sorry, girl,” I said, pulling her in for a hug. “I couldn’t get ready fast enough to get here on time.”
By the fifth draft, I imagined the frown that would have crossed her face if she read my excuse.
My girl was finally getting married after waiting three years to set a date with her fiancé. The two of them had focused on building her business and opening a second location in Hoboken, New Jersey. Trey and Serenity already acted like a married couple, so much so that everyone, including me, sometimes forgot they weren’t.
Because of that, I showed up. I put my feelings aside and reminded myself this wasn’t about me. My hesitation to come stemmed from fear of seeing my ex.
“You look so beautiful,” I told Serenity, leaning in to press my cheek against hers in an air kiss.
“So do you,” she replied, holding me at arm’s length. “Hips and legs for days, as always.”
For the night, I’d chosen a brown knit maxi dress that hugged every curve. It was an outfit I bought during my first week of therapy—a step my therapist had encouraged after hearing about Blake, my ex-boyfriend, who made a habit of criticizing my outfit choices as too revealing or too tight. Those criticisms still echoed in my subconscious every time I shopped for clothes.
For the several years Blake and I dated, I avoided wearing anything he might disapprove of, even when I really wanted to. At my therapist’s insistence, I bought this dress—the kind of thing I knew Blake wouldn’t have approved of—and wore it tonight. Now, I was starting to regret that decision.
Bad habits die hard.
“Here,” Serenity said, taking my hand. “Let’s leave your coat in the kitchen. We’re keeping the coat rack there.”
“Cool.”
As we walked, I admired the cozy yet stylish setup Trey and Serenity had created. Warm string lights hung overhead, and soft R&B played in the background, weaving through the hum of conversations.
We were just a few steps from the back when I spotted him.
Duane.
I felt my body tense at the sight of him. My breath stalled as my eyes tracked his every move—the way his hands moved as he spoke, the way everyone around him laughed, captivated.
He stood in a corner with Trey, Ryder, and a few unfamiliar guys, a drink in hand.
He wore a simple burnt-orange slim-fit dress shirt that accentuated his defined arms and tailored black pants. Suede camel Chelsea boots completed the look. It was different for him—he was always in sneakers back in the day—but it suited the occasion. His low Caesar haircut was freshly lined, and his goatee and mustache gleamed under the bistro’s string lights.
“Hey, girl,” Kelli said, pulling my attention away from Duane.
“Hey,” I said, stopping to hug her. I glanced down at her black wrap dress, which hugged her figure perfectly, and whistled. “You look hot, babe.”
Kelli laughed as she followed Serenity and me toward the back.
“The two of you are glowing,” I added as we walked through the kitchen door.
I turned to steal another look at Duane. He had just looked away from his conversation, his eyes landing on mine like he’d been scanning the room and was caught off guard to see me.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
It felt like I was frozen under a spotlight, unsure how to break the spell.
Thankfully, Kelli took my hand, forcing me to move, and we disappeared into the kitchen to hang my coat.
In that moment, I wished we could stay there for the rest of the night.
“So, I see Duane’s here,” I said, tugging my coat sleeve off by the wrist hem.
“Oh, yeah,” Serenity replied, nodding. She exchanged a look with me. “He got here… on time.”
I pursed my lips together.
“We’ve been waiting for you,” Serenity added, “but, you know, don’t feel bad or anything.”
I snorted a laugh, a small relief.
Kelli looked at me. “You ready?”
“For what?” I asked.
“To see Duane,” Kelli said, a small smile tugging at her lips.
“First of all,” I began, “fix your face.”
She and Serenity giggled.
“Second, him being here doesn’t matter to me. We don’t have to talk.” I reached out for Serenity, who quickly stepped up to me. “I’m here for Serenity and this wedding that we’ve all been waiting years to attend. Nothing else matters tonight.”
Kelli stared at me for a moment, her gaze sharp and discerning. She had a knack for tuning into feelings, often uncovering truths before I was ready to admit them.
She knew I’d been avoiding Duane like the plague since coming back to Rose Hill. Therapy had taught me he wasn’t the enemy, but my anger toward him had transformed into an insecurity. That insecurity hit me like a tidal wave when we locked eyes moments ago.
He hadn’t changed.
In our brief exchange, I realized everything about him was the same—his basketball player physique, his goatee and mustache combo, his sociability, his ability to command a room. He was still the guy’s guy, still effortlessly comfortable in his own skin, still very handsome.
Still Duane.
I couldn’t say the same about myself. The Diana he once knew didn’t exist anymore, and that truth made me uneasy—a feeling I would never admit out loud.
“So, you’re ready?” Serenity asked, her tone teasing as she tilted her chin down to peer at me.
“I should be asking you that,” I said, giggling and deflecting. “You’re the one throwing this party to tell us a date. Which is when, again?”
She giggled, taking my hand and pulling me through the kitchen’s exit. “You’re about to find out now.”
As soon as we stepped out, she waved at Trey, gently letting my hand go.
“Okay, everyone,” Serenity said, her smile so big it was contagious. “We can get started.”
The bistro, usually adorned with chairs and tables, looked more spacious that evening. Standing tables were pushed to the side against the exposed brick walls, covered with refreshments, drinks, and the main reason I pushed myself to leave my condo—Bellyful’s famous jerk tacos.
I made a mental note to snag a few as soon as I had the chance.
I was moving my attention away from the tacos to focus on Serenity and Trey when my eyes locked onto Duane’s.
He was looking right at me.
We held each other’s stare for a beat, my heart sinking slowly to my toes. He gave me a head nod and lifted his drink in my direction, a casual acknowledgment of my presence.
And my response? I froze.
All I could think to do was force a smile, rip my gaze away, and turn away from him.
Real mature, Di.
“First, thank you, everyone, for coming tonight,” Serenity began.
“Yeah,” Trey echoed. “We appreciate y’all showing up last minute, and on Valentine’s night at that… even though some of y’all ain’t had no plans, anyway.”
Serenity pinched Trey’s arm, and he snorted a laugh while the rest of us chuckled.
“Anyway.” Serenity giggled. “As you know, Trey and I have been engaged for a minute now.”
“For forever is more like it,” a man at the far end of the room called out.
“Luke,” Trey said, smiling. “Don’t start.”
The man—Luke—laughed, prompting a wave of laughter from everyone else.
“Okay, fine, Luke is right,” Serenity admitted. “Trey and I have been engaged for forever.” She looked up at him and blushed. “But honestly, I feel like we’ve been married since he put this ring on my finger.”
The room collectively awed, as expected.
“Last week,” Serenity continued, “we just got up and decided it was time to make that feeling a reality. So, instead of sending out a save-the-date, we wanted to throw this party and tell you in person that we’ve set a date: April 20th!”
My brows shot up. “Of next year?” I asked.
“Nope,” Trey said, grinning. “April… as in two months from now.”
“What?” echoed around the room in waves.
“I know, I know,” Serenity said, holding up her hands to calm the room. “It’s so last minute, but y’all have been saying we’ve waited too long, right?”
I laughed quietly to myself. “Girl, you’re going to throw a whole wedding in two months?”
“Yes, and everyone here tonight is invited.” Serenity wrapped her arms around Trey’s waist, and he leaned down to kiss her forehead. “The wedding will be held at the park a few blocks away in the garden, and the reception will be here at Bellyful. We wanted something small and intimate, only with the people we could call at 3 a.m. if we needed help and know they’d pick up. So, yeah, we’re getting married in two months!”
“Wow,” I whispered, a big smile spreading across my face. This was wild, but it worked.
That smile stayed on my face as my attention drifted, almost on its own, back to Duane. His focus seemed to land on me at the same time.
This time, instead of looking away, I held his stare.
There was no nervousness or racing heartbeat. I stared long enough to see a genuine smile tug at his lips.
A smile that hadn’t changed.
A smile that could melt the frostiest ice queen’s heart.
A smile that pulled one out of me too—one I couldn’t fight even if I tried.
The feelings I thought I’d have to wrestle with when I saw him weren’t there.
Instead, there was a sense of familiarity.
My heartbeat, which had been racing before I arrived, was steady now. A wave of calmness washed over me, one I couldn’t deny.
He looked good. Too good.
“So let’s eat, drink, and vibe, y’all,” Trey said, holding Serenity close. “Because after tonight, we’ve got a wedding to get ready for!”
As soon as I could, I was at the table with the tacos, piling a few onto my plate.
Throughout the night, I mingled with other guests, including Trey’s parents, Serenity’s mother, and Trey’s friends, like his best friend Luke and Luke’s girlfriend Juliette, who had the most beautiful red hair. I asked her what color she used to dye it, and she joked, “Color code God.”
I chuckled to myself as I made my way to the bar for a drink.
I’d been at the party for about half an hour, speaking to everyone… except Duane.
That changed when I was at the makeshift bar at the far end of the room, and he walked up to me.
I smelled him before I saw him.
The air shifted, soft and inviting, just like his presence always had been.
“Dice,” he said softly from behind me.
The smile that tugged at my lips felt instinctive. I tried like hell to fight it, but it was no use.
I turned to find him standing a few feet away, giving me enough space so his presence didn’t feel intrusive.
“You’ve spoken to everybody here except me tonight.” He smirked, running his fingers down the side of his mouth. “Should I be offended?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “You can be whatever you choose to be, I guess.”
His smirk turned into a smile. “Still fiery. Aight.”
His gaze dropped briefly, giving me a once-over before returning to my eyes. “You look… amazing. But you already knew that, didn’t you?”
He looked phenomenal.
“Thanks,” I managed, accompanied by a single nod. “You do too.”
Silence fell between us.
The chatter of the room filled the space where I could have said more, but I didn’t.
“So, uh…” He cleared his throat, gesturing with his drink. “I hear you run a consulting business. Taxes.”
I nodded. “I do.”
More silence.
“I… uh… I got taxes.” He cleared his throat again and pointed toward Bellyful’s window. “I own Sneaker Vault.”
I blinked.
“The sneaker store up the block.”
“I heard.”
The quiet stretched on, and he brushed a hand over his head, his shoulders dropping slightly.
“I’ve seen you once or twice, walking past,” he said. “Wanted to come out and say hey, but… wasn’t sure it was a good idea.”
I tucked my lips into my mouth and looked away.
While his presence brought a strange calm, I also felt nervous. My thoughts churned, overanalyzing everything.
Nothing had changed with him. Not a thing. That realization messed with my head.
He stepped closer, about to say something else when—
“Diana!” Serenity called from across the room.
Whew. Saved by the bell.
“Guess where Juliette works,” she said, gesturing toward the redheaded woman I’d just met. “For The Culture, girl!”
My brows shot up.
Serenity’s gaze flicked between Duane and me, her eyes widening. “Oh, shit. Did I…? Damn. My bad.”
“Nope,” I said, already stepping away.
I turned to Duane, throwing out a quick, “It was good seeing you. Take care.”
He didn’t say anything, just lifted his glass in acknowledgment.
I made my way to Serenity in quick strides, refusing to look back.
“Did I interrupt y’all?” she whispered, guilt written all over her face.
“You didn’t,” I said firmly.
“Damn. My bad, Di—”
“We’re good,” I cut her off, redirecting my attention to Juliette.
“For The Culture?” I said, smiling at her. “Let me just say how much I love your publication. I never miss an issue. And I do mean never.”
I threw myself into the conversation, ignoring Serenity’s lingering gaze.
Anything to avoid thinking about or talking to Duane.
I told myself I’d only have to see him one more time—at Serenity and Trey’s wedding.
I could cope with that.
Anything more? That would be a problem.
A New Episode Of Back To Us Will Be Sent And Posted Monday, December 9th!
Have you visited Rose Hill yet? Discover the story that started it all! In Love, I Trust is part of the Rose Hill series, capturing the journeys of characters falling in love in this charming New York town. Meet Serenity and Trey before they were a couple, trading witty banter in an online comment section 🤭.
Welcome to Rose Hill.
Have you ever experienced something so amazing that you convinced yourself it was too good to be true?
Serenity Payne continues to psych herself out with love. She’s consistently dress-rehearsed disappointment with her heart since she was thirteen. For years, Serenity has lived vicariously through other people’s love lives, and doing so has made her a pessimist.
But that outcome changes when she meets Trevon “Trey” Everest online.
Trey knows what he wants from love and is confident he’s ready to have and maintain the best of it with someone special. He’s traveled the world, has a fulfilling career, and has supportive friends and family. Now, he desires a genuine love of a lifetime that’s enduring and worth the effort of building something authentic… and he’s sure he’s found it in Serenity.
But, there’s a problem.
Serenity’s pessimism challenges Trey’s optimism in the worst way, and the solution to their problem will require Serenity to do the one thing she refuses to do with men… release control and trust.
