HER FRIDAY

Abby and Megan hastily left the shop before the closing hours and had Maya took charge once they heard from Storm his family problem. The two didn't hear anything from him since the premiere and didn't worry for they thought that he was just busy preparing for Agatha's visit in his bar. When Megan stopped by the shop that Friday afternoon to visit, that's when they both received a message from him. And when he opened the door to his pad, Megan and Abby saw a very devastated Storm, greeting them with a sad, forced smile.

"Oh, Stormy." and they both hugged him tight to give him comfort they thought he needed.

"I'm glad you both are here now."

They stayed liked that for a few more seconds before they settled themselves on his balcony where Storm served them coffee and the macarons that Megan brought. They gave him a few more time to relax and be ready before Abby asked.

"What happened?"

"I-I don't know. Dad doesn't want to give me any details. He just told me why he left."

"Have you ahmm..talked to your Mom?" Storm nodded and the two girls exchanged glances.

"Has she reached out yet?" Megan asked.

"She did. She called a few times."

"And you didn't answer?"

"I didn't answer."

"Why?" Abby asked and that kept Storm quiet. He stayed silence for a minute while the girls patiently wait.

"I think I'm angry." Storm finally spoke after clearing his throat and looked up to meet his best friends's eyes. "I don't want to talk to her because I'm afraid I might disrespect her. I don't want to do that."

"Understood." The two girls said in chorus while nodding. Storm sighed and slouched on his chair after putting a whole macaron in his mouth. The long years of being friends and together with each other were enough for the three of them to know that serious talks should only last for few minutes. They liked it that way as long as the main issue was discussed. They valued their private lives and problems, too that they learned to just wait until they were ready to talk more about it. And they kept their silence or talked about other things that would clear their minds away from their personal problem for a moment. That was their way of supporting each other.

"Did you get to go to your family's winery for a wine?" Abby asked Storm after a few more minutes of silence.

"What wine?" Megan asked Abby, unaware of the talk that they had after the premiere night.

"Ah, he planned on getting the best wine from their family's winery to give to Agatha later tonight."

"Oh," And now they were both looking at Storm who was still looked gloomy. "I guess you didn't."

"Nope. I didn't."

"Oh." And again, the two girls said in chorus. Just then, Abby took her phone and looked for someone's number to call. Megan continued enjoying her macaron while Storm just watched them two, not understanding and not even caring of what's happening.

"Hi Dad. Yeah, ahmm has Tio Jorge left to pick up Apollo?... Not yet. Cool. Ahh, can I ask you a favor?... Remember the wine Storm's dad gave for the New Year. The one we didn't open. Yup. Exactly. Can I have it?" Megan and Storm's attention were now on Abby. "I know. I'm sorry. I promise I'll ask him to replace it with the same one. Yup. Thanks Dad. Love you."

She put the phone back on the table and flashed a smile on the two confused people in front of her.

"What did just happen?" Megan asked.

"Your dad," Abby started but her eyes were on Storm. "gave my dad a bottle of wine that he personally made as a New Year present."

"You mean-?"

"Yup. The 1999 Summer Storm Wine."

"Wow."

"I know. So I think it will be really nice to serve that to your special guest later. I'll have Tio Jorge bring it to us."

"T-that's..I-I ahmm...I didn't know what to say but thank you." Storm stood to give Abby a short but tight hug with the grand gesture she just made.

"You're welcome but please make sure to replace that with the same one from your winery."

"I promise."

"Good."

The three of them went to the bar at eight where Apollo, Krizle, and Michael were already waiting at the balcony table where they last sat. Michael stood as soon as he saw Abby and gave her a peck on the lips that everyone saw but pretended like it was a normal thing for them to see from them.

"I have to go to the powder room first."

"Okay." Michael answered as he took her backpack and placed it on the seat next to him.

"I'll go with you." Megan said.

"Me, too." Then Krizle smiled and stood. "Let's go."

When the girls left for the powder room, Apollo and the still sad Storm glared at Michael who felt the tension from their stares.

"W-why?"

"Did you just kiss her?" Storm asked with a smile forming in his lips.

"Yeah. She's my girlfriend."

"On the lips?"

"Did you just kiss my sister on the lips?" Apollo added looking like his old protective older brother self minus the angry tone he used to hear from him. Michael nodded and cleared his throat.

"I did, dude but I swear to you that's just how far we went." Apollo kept staring at him as he tried to stay calm and unbothered with his forced smile.

"Are you sure?" Apollo asked again and Michael nodded.

"C'mon dude, you are a guy." Storm said and the two other guys stared at him though that didn't last because Apollo quickly turned his strong gaze to Michael.

"I-I know." Michael almost stuttered as he searched for the right words to use to defend himself against their malicious looks. "But aside from being Apollo's only little sister, I am fully aware of Abby's values. And I respect that. Really."

Michael still saw the questioning looks on Abby's brother and best friend but that didn't last that long, thanks to the silent prayer he was making while waiting for them.

"Cool." Storm said and raised his glass of wine to him before he smiled and drank.

"Okay." Was also the only word Apollo said to him which was already fine for him to feel at ease. He took a sigh of relief and drank the remaining beer in his mug.

"What the fudge!"

"Holy cow!"

Megan and Krizle screamed as soon as Abby closed the door of the powder room and that totally surprised the latter.

"W-what? Why? What's wrong?" Abby asked continuously as she faced the two looking happy but surprised at the same time girls.

"Did you and Michael just kiss?"

"On the lips?!" Megan continued and completed Krizle's question.

"Ah...yeah?" She said and then she walked toward the first empty cubicle to pee leaving her two friends startled while looking at each other. And then they stood close to the cubicle door to keep talking to Abby who had no idea of how big a deal that one was to them.

"Oh my gosh, Abby."

"Oh my gosh what?"

"You just kissed Michael on the lips!" She didn't say anything until she finished her business and got out of the cubicle where she was once again startled to see them waiting there for her.

"Oh my goodness. What are you girls doing?"

"Waiting for you."

"Here in front of the cubicle?"

"It's a clean cubicle. So-" they once again followed as she went to the sink to wash her hands. "When did you guys start liplocking?"

And now Abby began to feel embarrassed as she looked at her blushing face in the mirror while the other two girls were still too eager to hear answers from her.

"W-what?"

"Common Abby. We know you that much. A kiss on the lips is a big step for you."

"I-Isn't it just a normal thing to do?"

"It is. But not for you." Megan answered and Krizle nodded in agreement.

"Why not?"

"Because you're conservative, reserved, inexperienced and innocent."

"Innocent?" Megan repeated the last word Krizle used to describe Abby with a look of dissent in her face.

"Innocent. Innocent in the relationship world. This is her first real one, remember?"

"Right."

"Okay, you two." Megan and Krizle looked at her who still felt embarrassed every time her relationship was being talked about. But those two were more interested with her story than her feelings and they wouldn't stop until fueled by information so she would. "It is definitely a big progress and it happened when we were in their ancestral home. It was after sunrise and before Storm video called me to watch Ryan proposed to you."

"Oh my gosh. Why didn't you tell me?" Megan couldn't believe what she just said.

"Because it is nothing compared to what happened to you that morning so I just kept that to myself. Yours is more worthy of celebration."

"Oh my Abby." Megan was so touched she couldn't help but hug Abby who just smiled. "Thank you but you still have at least told me about it."

"Me, too." Krizle added as soon as the two finished their hug. "You know I'm the number one shipper of that relationship even before you weren't a thing yet. So you should have told me."

Abby chuckled and was moved by how important her relationship was to them.

"I'm sorry."

"Forgiven, of course. But don't forget to share to us every single progress in your relationship, please."

"We're not trying to include ourselves or something but we just want to celebrate it with you, no matter how simple. Okay?"

And Abby truly appreciated that.

"Okay." She said and they all smiled at each other.

"Let's go now then." Megan and Krizle walked their way out of the powder room when Abby suddenly remembered something.

"By the way," The two turned around to look at her. "We decided to call each other 'babe'."

"Oh my gosh!"

And the two couldn't help but jumped for joy and thrilled.

The three came back to their table with big smiles on their faces that made the three guys curious and asked. But they only answered them with 'nothing' then sat on their respectives chairs.

"Is Ryan not coming?" Storm asked while watching Megan retouched her make-up to get ready for her session.

"He will after his meeting. And why are you asking about him when you have a 'her' to ask about?"

"I ahmmm..." Storm suddenly felt shy and cornered when almost everyone around was already looking at him with their teasing smile. "I-"

"She's on the way." Apollo answered the question he couldn't construct properly without really telling them that he'd been waiting for her since he got into his bar.

"Oh."

"On the way up here."

"What?"

Everyone turned their heads to where the stairs were, waiting for Agatha Kim to show up and in five seconds, they all saw her came up wearing a black cap and a big smile that flashed to them as soon as she took of her mask.

"Hi guys." She sweetly greeted them then walked her way toward them to greet the girls with a kiss on the cheek and a wave for the guys.

Why does it have to be different? Storm angrily asked himself with how consistent she was in giving them a wave or a handshake while the girls always got to feel her cheek. "I'm sorry for coming here late. I got stuck in traffic."

Then he took a seat next to Megan, just a chair away from Storm.

"That's fine. Don't you have your team with you?" Megan asked while checking on the stairs and still waiting for someone to show up.

"Nope. I drove here by myself."

"Does your manager know?" Apollo asked like a real boss to his people.

"She does."

"And she let you come here alone?" They were all surprised to know a celebrity being allowed by their managers to go somewhere alone because Krizle never did. If she wasn't with her team, she would always be with Apollo and that was a normal thing for everyone in that table to see.

"I'm not that big of an artist like Krizle. I'm not recognizable with my mask and cap on which I bet don't work on you." She said to Krizle who just smiled and shook her head because it was true. She had done that once with Abby and Apollo when they went to the mall to go shopping. It wasn't even five minutes yet since they entered when a fan easily recognized Krizle and asked for a picture. Then the rest of the other people who liked her followed to get an autograph or a photo. And being the nice Krizle that she always was, she couldn't turn down any of their request that the place suddenly became an instant fan signing event they needed to call security to help them get Krizle out of the mall. Since then, they didn't try to ever go to the mall again. So everyone nodded in agreement except Storm who couldn't believe what he just heard.

"That's totally not true." He said and they all looked at him with furrowed faces, including Agatha.

"I'm sorry?"

"You may not be as big of a star as Krizle yet. And I mean not yet. But I'd recognize you even from a far, and even with a mask, a cap and glasses on."

Storm saw how Agatha's stare at him changed from an ordinary one to what he wanted to believe was amazement, or likeness, or just any word that was above ordinary. Then slowly, a sweet smile formed on her lips and Storm wanted to believe that it was only for him. He felt his heart melted like that was the first time a girl had ever smiled on him. It even started to pound fast when he heard her say 'thank you' in her nicest voice he didn't know how to properly respond to it or if he ever needed to. The rest of the people around them were just looking at them trying to feel the growing good atmosphere between the two when they were disturbed by the arrival of Ryan.

"Hey Hun."

He greeted and Megan automatically stood and walked toward him.

"Hey." They kissed and smiled at each other.

"Sorry, the meeting took longer than I expected."

"That's fine. You're here now. Though I have to be on stage in a few."

"Oh. Okay."

"I got your seat next to Storm."

"Thanks. Kill it down there."

"You know I always do."

Then they chuckled and Ryan gave Megan another kiss on the cheek before she went down and Ryan joined them. But Storm speedily moved to where Megan used to sit earlier so he could be next to Agatha just right before Ryan got closer.

"Wine?" He offered and Agatha nodded.

Storm quickly went down the bar to grab the bottle of wine that Apollo brought from their house as soon as Agatha mentioned thag she liked wine without knowing that Abby followed him. Megan was also still in the bar area waiting for the first session to end when she saw them walked down the stairs.

"Hey."

"Hi Megs." Storm looked at his back just when he was about to wave back at Megan when he saw her not really looking at him. He was surprised to see Abby there smiling and waving at Megan.

"Hey. What are you doing here?"

"Following you." She smiled then gently push her forward to where Megan was. "So is she a wine girl?"

She asked and Megan showed interest in her question that they were now both looking at him with excitement.

"She is."

"Oh, that's great. Good job with the wine Abby."

Then the two girls high fived while Storm took the wine that his crew kept safe plus a couple of wine glass for her and Ryan.

"I know."

"So are you going to make a move on her?"

They looked at him with sparkling eyes and he couldn't help but smirk.

"Should I?"

"Common, you. Be Storm Christopher. He's not one to ask that question."

"That's true."

Storm stared at his two best friends, who as far as he remembered wasn't a fan of how he treated relationships and girls, but was now encouraging him to pursue his forever crush.

"Are you sure?"

"Are you not?" Megan asked back.

"I don't know. You know how different she is with the girls I hit on. She came here in her jeans and T-shirt with no make up but just a lipgloss."

"So? Isn't that a good thing?"

"Huh?"

"It means you really like her." Abby answered her own question that confused Storm. "Her and not the skin you see that weren't covered by skimpy short skirts and backless dresses. You want to know her and not just taste her."

"I'm not really expecting the last two words to come from her but I agree with Abby, Storm." Abby smiled as she too was hesitant to say those words but she couldn't find the right ones to say instead and her two friends definitely knew that. "Don't try to get into her pants but into her heart, first."

"That one comes from the right mouth." Abby said and Megan nodded and now the three of them were chuckling before Storm sighed and gazed at them.

"Okay. I'll get to know her more."

"Not in bed." Abby reiterated.

"Not in bed." And Storm repeated before they all smiled at each other. They heard the singer on the stage giving her ending speech and saw her got down the stage.

"Alright. It's my turn." Megan said then gulp the water on the glass in front of her.

"What's your first song?" Abby asked as she took the wine glasses from Storm to help him brought upstairs for the guys waiting.

"Our favorite."

"Ooh." Storm and Abby reacted with a big smile on their faces then watched their friend got on the stage and confidently held the mic.

"Good evening everyone and happy Friday night to you all. My first song is for all the happy hearts out there and to those who are hoping for their own happy story. Please don't worry. You'll have yours, too..Someday." Then she glanced at her two friends and gave them a smile. She looked up to the balcony to see Ryan standing by the beam smiling at her. She gave him a wink and a smile as the band began playing 'Someday We'll Know' originally sang by New Radicals and one of the famous OST's from their guilty pleasure movie, 'A Walk to Remember.'