- 2 months Later-

-Fiat-

The four of us meet up at the cafeteria in the middle of campus.

Clover wraps her arm around mine and whines. "Where's Art?"

He hasn't been returning any of our calls or text. I decided to give him space, not expecting that he would let this long pass by. What a dick.

Jay and Steel chuckle at the familiar phrase. Clover laughs after hearing her words. 

"No really, He's been back a week and I haven't seen him." She rests her head on my shoulder. 
Usually, I don't mind but I feel irritated today I don't know why. 

"Man, what's with your face? You're  scowling." Steel says to me. I instantly relax my face.

Clover pouts. "He's cranky today."

"Probably misses his wife." Jay chuckles. 

"Yeah, your mother." 

"What wife?" Clover asks confused. 

"He means little brother." Steel clarifies.

We are interrupted by the sound of squealing girls.

We all look up to see what all the commotion is about. 

"Omg is that, Art?" Her jaw goes slack. 

We all stand up to see Art coming. He isn't wearing his glasses and his shaggy hair has been cut and slicked back. 

"Oh my god, he looks so good." Clover squeals.

Art takes a moment to smile at the squealing girls, and they squeal more at the sight of his dimples. I never thought I would see the day when he wasn't wearing his signature baggy hoody. 

He walks over to us with a smile. 

"Hey, guys." 

Jay, Steel, and Clover quickly crowd around him. I sit back down. 

Jay grabs his chin to take a closer look at him. "What happened to your face man? You're doing this strange thing with your mouth."

Art laughs and pulls his chin away.

"We missed you," Clover adds.

"I really missed you guys too." His dimples look especially deep today.

"It doesn't look like you missed us, the countryside really agrees with you," Steel says wrapping his arm around his shoulders. "Why did you stay so long?"

" My grandfather got sick the week I planned on leaving. Instead of my parents dropping everything and coming to help my Grandma, I stayed."

"Is he ok?"

"He is, I'm more worried about myself. I've been scrambling to catch up."

"You look really tan." Clover chimes. 

"Yeah, I spent a lot of time at the beach. Excluding the last week, I honestly I had so much fun. Next time I go, you guys have to come."

"I thought you hated it there?" I get a word in, and he looks at me for the first time.

"I really did as a kid. I'm not a kid anymore, guess we grow and outgrow things." He gives me a dimply humorless smile.

I feel myself glaring, and I force myself to relax my face again. That comment felt pointed, but ok.

"Make sense now why you didn't reply to one text or call," Steel says with his eyebrows.

"Sorry about that, service is scarce out there."

"Man, you look really good in your uniform," Jay says flirtatiously. 

Art elbows him and feigns barfing. "Eww, you just gave me goosebumps, talk to me in that tone again I'm texting Gear." He warns. 

Two seniors approach our table. One has a camera in her hand. 

"Hey, guys can we take a picture for the freshy faces newsletter?"

I stand up and walk over to my gang and we pose for the picture. I'm annoyed but I manage a stiff smile. 

"Can you tell us what faculty each of you are from?" The taller girl asks.

Jay: "Sports Sciences"

Steel: "Sports Sciences"

Me: "Sports Sciences"

Clover: "Food Sciences."

Art: "Communication Arts."

"And who is single and whose taken?" The shorter of the two girls speaks up and immediately blushes at her own question. 

Clover wraps her arms around mine. "We're taken." She announces proudly.

"I have a boyfriend." Jay offers

"I'm available ladies," Steel says with a grin. The girls squeal again when he smiles.

The two girls turn to Art when suddenly a guy wraps his arm around his neck. 

"Taken." He says smiling. 

All four of us are stunned by his sudden appearance. Art shakes his head, and ducks away from the guy's embrace.

"He is Not my boyfriend. I don't have a boyfriend." Art offers the girls. 

"Yet. I'm not your boyfriend, Yet."

Art rolls his eyes. "Benz this is the gang, gang this is Benz." 

Clover bats her eyelashes, "Art who is Benz?"

"Benz is him." He says sarcastically.

"You must be Clover." Benz smiles at her. 

"I am. Art told you about me.?" 

"Of course, you're his best friend."

"Yeah? And we never heard of you?" I eye shorty up and down.

Benz puts his hand over his heart, feigning heartbreak.

"Babe, you didn't tell them about me?" He looks up at Art.

"Cute, very cute. Benz is my senior; we are in the photography club together."

"Why are you making it sound like we just met?" He asked confused.

"I didn't say that." 

"We've known each other for a while, I work at Lenses."

"That camera shop you always go to?" Steel asks.

Art nods. 

"Almost like it was meant to be, our dorms are right next door to each other. Now I get to bug Art all the time, just bugging him at the store was not enough."

"Oh, that reminds me." Clover reaches into her bag and pulls out a key with a pink casing on it. "Will you keep this Art?" 

Art takes it from her hand and Steel and Jay follow her lead and reach into their pockets and produce their spare keys, each with a different color.

Benz looks at them confused. 

-Art-

"Give me your spare Art."

"It's ok, I won't lose my key."

Fiat holds out his hand and stares at me. Ugh, this shit again. I blink at his hand. "Really it's fine."

"I'll hold your spare key." Benz offers.

"Never."

Fiat reaches over and takes my bag from my shoulder, and starts going through it. I take a deep breath. Please grant me the patience not to lose my shit. I watch him go through my bag and locate my keys. He pulls the spare from the keyring; he produces his key ring from his pocket and places mine along with his. He then repeats the process with his blue key.

"What are you the gang key keeper?" Benz asks me.

"More like the gang babysitter."

"They are all different colors? I'm so confused." Benz says.

I pat his back. "You'll always be that way, let's go."

I don't look at Fiat when I take my bag from his hand. "I'll see you guys later."

"But we didn't eat lunch." Clover protest.

"I'm sorry, no time."  I pat her head as she pouts. "Next time I promise."

She nods. "And answer our calls or text or I'll find you." She squints her eyes and points at me.

I wrap my arm around Benz and pull him away.

"He is so different." I hear Clover say to the gang

"I know it's like our little Arts all grown up." Steel adds.