Date: Sun, 5 Dec 1999 10:54:16 -0500 (EST)
From: sliders21@iname.com
Subject: ordinary love 9 (adult-friends)

Note: I finally finished this part of the story after a long time. I hope
that someone out there will still be interested in the story. Anyhow, I'll
be updating this story regularly from now on. The next part will be posted
before next week.


***************
Ordinary Love 9
***************


	"You're a smart woman Fiona," Drew said slowly as he looked at her
warily. "You know what the answer to your question is."

	"You think I'm making a big mistake staying together with Nick like
this?" Fiona said in a trembling voice.

	"Look," Drew sighed out deeply as he stood up. He glanced at her
one final time. "I think you should ask yourself if you truly love Nick
first. If you don't, then the answer is very simple. But if you really do
love then whatever I say will hurt you so I'd rather not say anything. I'm
sorry." With that Drew quickly walked away, leaving Fiona sitting down
alone under the night sky. Drew hurried back inside and he bumped into Nick
as he was entering the function room.

	"Hey!" Nick gave Drew a huge grin. "I was going to look for you."

	"Your fiancee is outside," Drew mumbled out as he avoided looking
in Nick's eyes. "I think you should talk to her." Drew then walked pass by
Nick and proceeded to their table.

	He sat back down on his seat and to his relief, the others didn't
ask him anything. They engaged in some meaningless conversation until Fiona
and Nick showed up. It was very evident to everyone that the two had a
fight because they didn't say anything to each other for the rest of the
evening.
	
	"Clint," Fiona looked at her brother as they were preparing to
leave. "You mind driving me to my apartment?"

	"No," Clint shook his head before he looked at Drew. "You don't
mind---"

	"I could take a cab, don't worry about me," Drew cut him off and
gave him a smile.

	"I'll give you a ride Drew," Nick interjected. "Your place is on
the way anyway."

	"Uhhh," Drew looked at Nick uncomfortably. "Thanks." Drew said
goodbye to the Duprees before he and Nick went to the parking lot and got
in the car. Neither of them spoke for the a few minutes.

	"Don't worry," Nick said in a soft voice. "I'm not going to hit on
you or anything."

	"That's not what I'm worried about," Drew muttered out to him.


	"Then why are you so silent?" Nick asked him.

	"Why the hell did you have to tell me you love me Nick?" Drew said
to him frustratedly. "Now I can't even be with you for one second without
being so dam self-conscious."

	"I'm sorry," Nick said in a soft voice. They fell silent again for
a while.

	"I'm sorry Nick," Drew finally said to him. "I shouldn't have said
that."

	"You're right," Nick said slowly. "I shouldn't have said that to
you before. But like I said, I just didn't want to regret not saying that
to you even once."

	"Fiona really loves you," Drew said as he looked at Nick for a
second before looking out of the window. "I know she'd make you very happy
someday."

	"You're the only one who can make me happy Drew," Nick said in a
quivering voice. "Marrying Fiona will make my mother happy but not
me. That..that's why I...I..broke off our engagement."

	"You what?!" Drew looked at Nick sharply. Nick didn't answer him
but just concentrated on driving. A lot of things were running in Drew's
mind for him to say anything anymore.  Then Nick pulled up in front of
Drew's building half an hour later.

	"Thanks," Drew said as he faced Nick. Nick was staring straight
ahead so he just got out. As soon as he got out, Nick quickly drove off.

***********

	"Have you heard?" Rinoa said to Drew in a whisper. She, Gerald and
Drew were all having coffee the following morning in the lounge. "Nick
broke up with his fiancee."

	"You're joking," Gerald said to Rinoa in disbelief.

	"That's what I heard from Rosie from accounting," Rinoa shrugged
her shoulders. "Is it true Drew?"

	"Who knows," Drew said to her in bored voice. He steered the
conversation to another topic until Lisa showed up fifteen minutes
later. She joined them at the table. She greeted them with a warm smile.

	"You're not that busy today, are you?" Lisa smiled at Drew.

	"No," Drew said slowly as he looked at her quizzically. "I'm doing
this report but it's not due until this Friday. Why?"

	"Great!" Lisa said happily as she stood up and grabbed Drew's hand
and dragged him up. "You can go shopping with me then."

	"Shopping?" Drew pulled back his hands from her grasp.

	"It's when you go to shops and buy stuff," Lisa laughed out.

	"I know what shopping is," Drew didn't look amused at her
joke. "But it's not quitting time yet."

	"This is for some gifts we're giving some of our clients," Lisa
explained to him. "Please. I really need someone to accompany me." Drew
looked at her doubtfully for a while before he nodded his head.

	"Okay," Drew said to her. "I'll just finish some stuff. Can you
wait for me?"

	"I'll be in my office," Lisa nodded her head then she left the
lounge. Drew sat back down on the table with a sigh.

	"I wish she'd ask me to go shopping with her instead," Gerald
sighed out deeply. "I have this really boring report due this afternoon."

	"I guess I'll just see you guys later," Drew said as he stood
up. "Bye." Drew then went to his desk and turned off his computer before he
proceeded to Lisa's office. Her secretary told him to proceed right in. He
knocked thrice before opening the door.

	"Hey Lisa, are you---" Drew stepped in and saw Nick and Joey
sitting down on a couch with Lisa. He looked at the three
uncomfortably. "Umm, sorry. You're secretary told me to come right in. I
didn't know you---"

	"I told her to send you in," Lisa cut him off quickly. "Are you
ready to go now?" Drew just nodded her head as he looked at her, trying
hard to avoid looking at Nick and Joey.

	"Before you go Drew," Joey spoke up so he had to look at him. Joey
walked up to him. "I have an extra ticket for a hockey game tonight. I'll
pick you up at your place say at 6:00, okay?"

	"Wh---what?" Drew stammered out in surprise.

	"And we'll have dinner afterwards at this pizza place I know," Joey
added to him.

	"Come on," Lisa quickly grabbed Drew in the arms and dragged him
out of the office and into the elevators. The two were silent all the way
down to the basement.  Lisa and him walked to her car and they were on
their way in a few minutes.

	"What is this about Lisa?" Drew asked her warily as he looked at
her face. "We're not going shopping for some gifts, right?"

	"Actually I need some new clothes," Lisa laughed softly. "Sorry if
I lied to you but Nick told me you wouldn't agree if I told you the truth."

	"Nick?" Drew was taken aback.

	"He said you're a little uncomfortable with us so this is my way of
breaking the ice between us so to speak," Lisa glanced at him and gave him
a grin. "And Joey's idea of a guy's night out is pizza and hockey."

	"Ok---ay," Drew said to her very slowly.

	"We just wanted you to be comfortable with us," Lisa said to
him. "The guys' did this with Rachel also."

	"Rachel?" Drew lost her then.

	"She's my partner," Lisa said to him casually. Drew just looked at
her quizzically for a while before he got what she said. He became beet-red
as he realized what she just said.

	"Uhhh," Drew felt his heart beating faster as he gasp for
breath. I...umm..I mean..uhhh....I...we are not--"

	"Not yet but you're too smart to let Nick go," Lisa said to him
seriously. The she laughed out. "But we're not here to discuss your
relationship with my friend. We have to shop for clothes, remember? And I
took the liberty to reserve us a table at Cyril's."

***********

	"The guy you're living with is kinda cute," Joey said to Drew as
they were watching the hockey game that night.  Drew didn't want to admit
it to himself but Lisa and Joey were trying hard to get to know him
better. Lisa asked him a lot of questions and told him a lot of stories
about her. "I heard he's an ex-boyfriend."

	"Yeah," Drew said as he looked at the guys on the court.

	"Isn't it a little weird for you guys to be living together now?"
Joey pressed on.

	"Actually, it was kinda strange at first," Drew sighed out as he
realized there was no escaping this topic. He looked at Joey. "But Shawn is
my best friend even before we hooked up. And we were together for a short
time only. We're not going to hook up again if that is what you're asking."

	"Good," Joey laughed at him. "Nick will be heart broken if he finds
you still love you ex-boyfriend."

	"Could I ask you something?" Drew gave Joey a strange look. "Why go
to all this trouble? There's no chance of me and Nick ending up together."

	"You don't know Nick like we do," Joey shook his head at him. "He
had always said to us that he was looking for his soul mate and that if he
found her, he'd drop Fiona and be with her. We knew he was telling the
truth. We just didn't expect that it would be a he not a she."

	"But---" Drew began to argue.

	"I'm not here to argue with you, okay?" Joey just grinned at
him. "That's Nick's job. I'm just here because I wanted to get to know the
person that stole my friend's heart. Lisa and I didn't want you to be
uncomfortable around us."

	"Thanks," Drew didn't know what else to say.

****************

	"Spending some quality time with his friends?" Shawn gave Drew a
huge grin. "That means that his friends already accepted you as his better
half. That makes you a couple already."

	"Shut up," Drew muttered out to his friend as they watched a late
movie. "That doesn't solve my problem."

	"The reason why you have a problem is because you like Nick," Shawn
said loudly. "You said he already broke off the engagement, right? What's
the problem now? He's a free man already."

	"But his family doesn't know that he's gay," Drew said slowly. "I
just-"

	"If he could break off with his fiancee for you, he could also tell
his family about you," Shawn interjected. "Just be patient. In the mean
time, enjoy being in his arms, okay? God! You're too uptight! You need a
man in your life, you know that! Just hook up with him already, okay?"

	"You're the one who called him a bastard before, remember?" Drew
retorted back.

	"The bastard just broke up with a fiancee that's a close family
friend," Shawn reminded him.

*************
ToBeContinued
*************

All comments are welcome at:

Sliders21@iname.com