"Roger, that was amazing." Maureen said as Roger approached the table with his guitar in his hand.

"Thanks Mo. Not bad for a faded rock star, huh?" Roger exclaimed laughing as he sat down and picked up his draft beer.

"Rog, you didn't sound so faded. You were great. Really." Joanne told him smiling from ear to ear.

"Yeah Rog. I mean, you haven't played in like 3 years. It was really great to see you up on stage again." Mark told him smiling with his camera still raised.

"Right where you belong." Collins added raising his glass before bringing it to his lips.

"Thanks guys. Really. I couldn't have done it without you guys." Roger said taking a large gulp of his beer to dampen his dried throat.

"Well too bad Mimi couldn't have seen you." Collins told him as Roger's smile began to fade.

"Yeah well, she made her choice and I guess the fact that I can't be injected into her veins was my downfall." he said setting his glass on the table.

"It's OK Rog. You're over her now, right?" Mark asked lowering his camera.

"Yeah. Yeah, I mean do I wish she was clean? Yeah. Do I wish she wanted to spend her final days with me? Definitely. But I'm fine you guys. Really. I'm doing what's making me happy and that's performing." Roger told them beginning to smile again.

"To Roger. Tonight the Life Cafe, tomorrow Madison Square Garden." Collins said raising his glass as the others followed suit.

"I don't know about Madison Square Garden, but OK. I'm game." Roger said raising his glass and laughing as he took another large gulp of his beer. "I'm gonna go for a smoke. Collins, care to join me?" he asked getting up.

"Yeah, sure man. I could use some fresh air as I'm polluting my lungs." he said getting up and following him out.

"Ya know Collins, it felt good up there. I mean, really good. I didn't think I missed it so much until I was up there and doing my songs." Roger said reaching into his jeans pocket for his cigarettes as Collins lit the lighter.

"I know what you mean. You know, I wish Angel were here to see you. She would have been so proud of you." Collins told him smiling.

"Thanks. I'm pretty proud of myself." Roger said taking a drag off of his cigarette.

"So, you still got those posters up to start a new band?" Collins asked shifting his weight from one leg to the other.

"Yeah, I'm psyched. I really want to start playing clubs again. I loved playing the heavy stuff." Roger said smiling at him.

"I know what you mean. You really looked like at one point you wanted to kick the mike stand over and rock out in some Eddie Van Halen guitar solo." Collins told him laughing.

"I did, man." Roger told him laughing along.

"Come on, let's go get drunk to celebrate your grand return to rock and roll." Collins said flicking his cigarette as Roger did the same.

"Good idea. I'll be damned if Maureen is gonna out drink me again." Roger said opening the door as Collins stepped into the Cafe.

"Roger? Is that you?" a woman at the front table asked standing up.

"Gina? Gina Darrien? Wow, I haven't seen you since..." Roger said looking down at the 5'6" blond who stood before him.

"High school graduation. Yeah, I remember. You were really great up there. You sounded amazing." she said flipping her long hair behind her.

"Yeah well, it was my first time performing in 3 years. It's a long story. What are you doing in the city?" he began rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"I live here. Right on 11th and B. My apartment sucks, but I'm writing again." she told him looking into those mesmerizing green eyes she loved so much.

"Are you kidding? I live on 11th and B. I'm in the building that barely has heat or electricity." he said laughing.

"Me too. Are you the guy on the top floor who's always on the fire escape playing Musetta's Waltz?" she asked, her blue eyes gleaming as she smiled.

"That would be me. What floor are you on?" he asked smiling back at her.

"I'm right below you. I can't believe you still play that song. Everytime I heard it, I thought of you and high school." she said looking down as her hair fell in her face.

"No way. I can't believe you live down there. A girl I used to know used to live down there." he told her as Collins and the others called for him to come back to the table. "Do you want to join me and my friends? We're kind of celebrating my first performance in years." he asked pointing to the others.

"Yeah, I'd like that." she said picking up her drink from the table and following him.

"Guys, this is Gina Darrien. We kind of knew each other in high school. Gina these are my friends. That's Mark and Collins, my roommates, and them two over there are Joanne and Maureen. They're lesbians so don't get freaked out if they start groping each other." he said pointing to everyone laughing.

"Nice to meet you Gina. Did you and Roger date in high school?" Maureen asked as Roger shot her a look.

"Yeah, actually we did." she said sitting down.

"Roger talked about you when he first moved here. You guys dated all through high school, right?" Mark asked knowing the answer already, but looking to get a rise out of Roger.

"Yeah we did. From Halloween freshman year right up until graduation." she said as she looked at Roger who was smiling down at her.

"Yeah, she was my first love." he said taking a large sip from his beer as the others looked at him. "What? She was." he said setting his now empty glass back on the table.

"He was mine too." she said looking at him smiling.

"So why did you guys break up then?" Maureen asked taking Joanne's hand in hers.

"I was going away to college and Roger wanted to come to the city to be a rock star, so we broke up." she told them her bright smile falling.

"What brings you to Alphabet City?" Joanne asked caressing Maureen's hand with her thumb.

"I got bored being an accountant and always wanted to write, so I quit my job and took my savings and came here. I live in the same building you guys do." she said looking at Collins and Mark sipping her white zinfandel.

"No way. What floor?" Collins asked laughing at the coincidence.

"Mimi's old apartment." Roger told them lifting his hand to the waiter for another drink.

"Are you serious?" Maureen asked shocked.

"I guess, if her name was Mimi." Gina answered looking at Roger who now seemed distant.

"I'm gonna hit the head. Order me another beer." Roger said getting up and going to the bathroom.

"Is he OK?" Gina asked confused.

"Mimi was his ex girlfriend. She left him about 6 months ago. It's a long story. Maybe Roger should tell you. He's just a little sensative about it still." Joanne told her leaning over the table.

"Oh OK. When I told him where I lived, he just said a girl he used to know lived there. I didn't know he was involved with her." Gina told them drinking the rest of her wine. "Can you guys order me another white zin? I'll be right back." she said getting up from the table and going towards the bathroom. "Roger, I didn't realize you dated the girl whose apartment I'm living in. I'm sorry." she told him as he came out of the bathroom.

"It's OK. I mean, I'm over her, it just stings a little still. It's OK. She just chose drugs over me. I'm fine. I mean, I'm performing again and living my life. Don't worry about it." he told her leaning against the wall.

"Did you use with her?" she asked quietly as he leaned in to hear her.

"No. I quiet a year before I met her. When I found out I was HIV positive." he told her looking down with his hands behind his back.

"Oh. I quit about 6 months ago. What was your drug of choice?" she asked as he looked up at her surprised.

"Smack. You?" he asked smiling a bit.

"Blow. I'm sorry your positive." she said looking at him smiling back at him.

"Are you...?" he asked as his question trailed off.

"No. But I just had to get out of where I was or I never could have stopped using." she told him tilting her head to the side.

"Good. I mean, I'm glad you're not positive. Not good that you were using. What made you pick the East Village?" he asked stumbling on his words.

"I just wanted to write and get back to who I was when I was the happiest. And that was in high school." she told him as they looked into each others eyes smiling at one another. "I didn't know you were here, I swear. It is just one of those things." she said reaching up to touch his bicep, which was more muscular than it was in high school.

"I'm glad you're here. Really. I missed you." he said looking down at her.

"Me too. Never in a million years did I think I would see you again." she told him laughing.

"We should get back to everybody. They're ogling us." he said laughing along with her.

"OK. Oh Roger, I like your hair. I always told you it would look great if you grew it out." she said smiling at him as he ran his fingers through his hair to push it back.

"Thanks." he said as he put an arm around her and walked back to the table.

"So, how's it going guys?" Collins said as he laughed handing Roger his beer.

"Shut up." he said laughing along as he and Gina sat down.

"So what do you guys do for a living?" Gina asked looking at everyone picking up her glass of wine.

"Well, Collins is a teacher, Mark is a documentary filmmaker, Joanne is a lawyer and Maureen is a universal pain in the ass." Roger said laughing bringing his glass to his lips.

"Very funny Roger. I am a performance artist. Lately I've been using my art to protest for the homeless." Maureen told him kicking him under the table.

"Hey, what did I tell you about that? Either stop kicking me or stop wearing those pointy ass, steel tip shoes, man." Roger told her as he reached down to rub his calf as everyone laughed along.

"Well stop screwing with me." she said picking up her beer.

"Oooo, she told you man." Collins said laughing.

"Yeah, I know. Remind me not to mess with a lesbian in spikey ass shoes." he said laughing and smiling bigger than any of the bohemians have seen him smile since before Mimi left.

"Close on Roger, he just finished his first gig in 3 years and he's actually happy." Mark narrated as he lifted his camera up and began to film as Roger flipped him off. "Now there's the Roger we all know and love." he continued laughing.

"I need another cigarette. You wanna come with me?" Roger said as he turned to Gina.

"Yeah, I could use one." she said getting up as they left the table.

"So, how do you like my friends?" he told her taking a cigarette out of his pack and offering Gina one.

"I like them. They're really funny. So tell me, why is it that I have been living downstairs from you for a month and never ran into you?" she said accepting his cigarette and allowing him to light it for her.

"Well, I don't go out much. I'm usually in the loft writing music." he told her taking drag from his cigarette.

"I know, I hear you all the time. I lay in my bed for hours just listening to you. The first time I heard it swore it was you, then I just listened because it reminded me of you." she told him leaning up against the building.

"You know I have thought about you too. I wondered if you were married, had kids, if you were happy. I been through a lot these last few years and like you, the years I had with you were the happiest." he told her standing in front of her.

"No, never married. No kids. Just got out of a really bad relationship though." she answered flicking her cigarette into the street.

"I know what you mean. Before Mimi I was with this girl April, who I met in a club when I was performing and we got into some shit and that's how I got HIV, then she killed herself. I stayed in the loft for a year getting off the smack and then Mimi came along and got me out of the house. But then a year and a half later she left me. She just couldn't stay clean. But I knew it was over before that. So I know exactly how you feel." he told her stomping his cigarette out.

"I'm sorry." she said looking up at him.

"Don't be. She was good for me in long run." he told her sitting down on the steps of the Cafe.

"How so?" she asked sitting next him.

"Well, like I said she got me out of the house and made me start living. She got me writing music again. And I'm performing again. I owe her that." he said turning to her.

"I guess lucky for me, huh? Otherwise I never would have run into you again." she said laughing as she played with her hair.

"Yeah, you live right downstairs from me and I have to meet up with you here." he said laughing along noticing she had the same nervous habit she had in high school.

"Yeah, imagine my surprise. I come in here and I see this guy on stage and oh my god, it's my high school boyfriend. I can't believe you still do that song." she said laughing more.

"It's one of my favorite songs to sing. I remember how much you loved that song." he said looking into her bright blue eyes.

"Well, Open Arms by Journey was one of our songs." she said turning to him.

"I missed you Gina." he said as his smile began to fall.

"I missed you too Roger." she said as they began to move their lips closer to one another.

"Hey, Rog. We thought you guys got lost." Collins said opening the door to the Cafe hitting Roger's back. "Oh sorry man." he said smiling down at them as he went back inside.

"We should go inside anyway." Roger told her standing up and taking her hand to help her up.

"Yeah, maybe that's a good idea. I wouldn't want you to get sick." she said smiling up at him as he held on to her hand to help her up as he brought her into a kiss. She fell right into him. As she wrapped her arms around him, their tender kiss turned into a more passionate one.

"I missed this." he whispered to her as he buried his face into her neck.

"I know Roger. Me too." she said holding him tight.

"I still love you, you know." he said caressing her hair.

"I know. I still love you too Roger." she said smiling as she put her head to his chest.

"We should go back inside. They'll send Maureen out next and trust me, you don't want her out here after she's had a few in her." he said laughing as he kissed her head.

"OK." she said smiling at him holding his hand as they entered the Cafe.