Hi everyone! Here's another little contribution to the AU Fest, a modern AU drabble. Enjoy!

She was late to the restaurant. Of course she was late, Sybil had only been kind enough to remind her five minutes before she should have left.

Her little sister was being her matchmaker. Mary almost had to laugh at that. Of course, Sybil was already in a stable and loving marriage with a man Mary had come to respect, and was confident she knew everything about love.

"He's a friend of Tom's, and I think you should come out to dinner with us and him. I think you'd like each other," Sybil had said. "You might be great friends."

Friends? Sybil's intention couldn't have been more obvious if she had stated it aloud.

She opened the door to the restaurant, and sure enough they were already seated. Mary bit back her annoyance at Sybil's well-meaning but not particularly helpful reminder.

"Name?" the waiter asked.

"Oh, um, I'm with Sybil Branson. They're already sitting down."

"Of course, go ahead," he replied. Despite the low light, Mary was able to spot Sybil and her husband.

And the man sitting with them...

She blinked, not believing her eyes. How could he, of all people be here? And how could he be friends with Tom, no less?

"Mary! So glad you could make it!" Sybil said, a bit to cheerfully for the awkward silence that settled as she approached. "This is Matthew."

He looked up from his drink and tried to smile at her. "Hello, Mary."

"Excuse me a moment."

She didn't care about the rain outside. She only needed to get away from him. Who was he, to come back into her life? Why here, why now when she was just adjusting to a new job and a new apartment, and everything was changing.

"Mary, why on earth are you out here? You really should get inside. Do you want my jacket?"

Except him, apparently.

"Still always the gentleman," Mary muttered as he approached her from behind.

"I missed you, Mary." His voice was gentle, quiet, but full of underlying sadness.

She turned around, finally really looking at him. "You left me after we fought. You left me to go into the army and you lost contact with me."

"Mary, I..."

"Do you know how many letters I wrote? I must have sent you a hundred emails, a thousand texts! Would it have killed you to reply to one of them? Just so I knew you were okay?" She softened her expression and place a hand on him arm. "I was worried. I had no idea what happened with you. I kept willing you to respond, but finally I realized I needed to move on with my life."

Matthew nodded, his bright eyes staring into hers. "I'm so sorry. After we fought, I just kind of wanted to start afresh. So I ignored everything. I just couldn't handle it... I'm really sorry, Mary, but I just couldn't talk and... Never mind, how are you? Did you manage to move on? Are you seeing someone else?"

"You haven't talked to me for five years and that's what you're worried about?"

"No, I just...want you to be happy."

She laughed. "You've helped with that a lot by not responding to me. And no, I haven't. Sybil has been trying to play matchmaker. I thought that was what she was doing tonight, but she is a deceitful little sister."

"Actually, I asked her to do this."

Mary couldn't tell if she was crying or if the rain that was now pouring was the only water dotting her eyelashes, but she was so overwhelmed by emotion that she nearly fell into Matthew's arms. He laughed and wrapped his arms around her. "Yes Mary, I was the deceitful one. But I had to see you again. And Tom, who I've known forever, just so happened to be married to your sister."

She stood up straighter and gazed at him, taking in the sight of the boyfriend of five years ago, the boy who left her and became a man. He was slimmer, taller, more shapely, perhaps even more handsome. How could they have split apart? "I honestly don't remember what we fought about."

"Neither do I," he said, boldly wrapping his arms around her. "But can we start again?"

Mary grinned and played with a piece of his dripping hair. "I've missed you, Matthew," she said.

"As have I," he replied, and theirs lips touched as a kiss that had been waiting for five years finally was fulfilled. Murmurs of passion filled the air as they kissed, oblivious to all else. Neither cared that they were wet.

Thanks for reading! Reviews are always very much appreciated. :)