Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2005 18:59:28 -0800 (PST) From: slpwriter Subject: Nick Lachey: My Everything-79 Happy New Year, Everyone! I'm back with another chapter of "My Everything." Thanks for all of your support! Without it, I don't think I could have written this story for this long. Now on with the story. First of all, let me just say that this is my first time writing any kind of fiction like this. DISCLAIMER: This is a work of total fiction and is not meant to imply anything about the sexualities of Nick and Drew Lachey or anyone else mentioned in this story. If you are too young to read this, or if Homosexuality offends you, then please don't continue any further and leave. Other 98 Degrees stories I'd like to recommend are. "Give Me Just One Night" by Unanoche. "69 with Jeff Timmons" by Zachary Scott Pritt "Nick Lachey" by Ken. "98 Degrees Is Hot" by Gay Night "The Reunion" by RinSong. "Loving Nick Lachey" by Jordan "Playing Doctor with 98 Degrees" by Brian "This Gift" by Sprout and finally: "What I feel for you" by Thack. Now, I"ll let you get on with the story. Enjoy. Previously on "My Everything"..... BACK IN SEAN'S ROOM............. Nick suddenly put his arms around me and pushed me back a bit, breaking our kiss, his hands on my upper arms. "Sean, we can't do this." Nick said, breathing hard. "I'm a married man." I looked at him, my expression full of disappointment. "Yes we can, Nick." I said, as I tried to put my hands around his shoulders again. "You and Jessica are separated, remember? There's nothing holding you back now, is there?" Nick gently removed my arms from around his shoulders, but he wasn't trying to hurt my feelings. He was just uncomfortable at that moment. "We're not separated yet." He said. "At least not legally." I looked down, now feeling guilty for being the one who kissed him, when he wasn't expecting it. I should have realized that Nick was vulnerable right now. "I know." I said, sadly. "And I'm sorry about that. I can't imagine the pain that you're going through right now. I was just trying to make you feel better, and I guess I took it a little too far." "Don't worry about it." Nick said. "Besides, it takes two to kiss. I shouldn't have encouraged it by kissing you back, so I accept my share of responsibility for that kiss." "Are you sure?" I asked him, really starting to feel bad now. "I feel like I took advantage of you now. I didn't mean to." "Sean, would you stop that, already?" Nick said, with a grin. "You worry too much. Although, I have to admit that it's really sweet of you to be thinking about my feelings. It really shows how much you have grown and matured over the years that we've been apart." I smiled at him. I was really touched by his kind words. I could definitely say the same thing about him. He had changed alot while we were apart all those years. He had grown and matured too. Not to mention the fact that he'd gotten sexier than ever before. He was still the most beautiful man in the world to me. Even today. "Thanks." I said, lowly. "I can say the same thing about you. You've changed alot too." Nick nodded, as he looked at me. Then, his smiled faded and that look in his eyes came back again. I could feel the intensity within them. "Don't you ever wonder......." I said, breaking off as I gazed into his eyes, mesmerized by their beauty and charm. "What?" Nick asked, never breaking his gaze from me. I swallowed and then took a breath. My attraction to Nick was getting stronger and stronger all the time. I didn't know how much longer I was going to be able to keep my feelings for him under wraps. "Don't you ever wonder what it would be like.....for us to be together again?" Nick blinked, as he processed my words. I continued. "To make love again." I said, as I started caressing Nick's chest, lightly. "To feel your warm skin against mine?" I started running my hands along Nick's arms again and up to his shoulders. I leaned in closer, my lips just inches away from his. "Right now, you're lonely." I continued, saying, my voice full of lust. "I'm lonely. So, what do you think we should do about that?" Nick and I both stared into each other eyes, both of us breathing hard. We could feel each other's hot breath on our lips, even though we were not kissing. At least not yet. *********** CHAPTER 79 *********** As I looked into Nick's eyes, I could see the confusion and the loneliness within them. It was very evident that Nick was going through hell, and all I wanted to do was to make him feel better. "But was I going about it the right way?" Nick was still not able to answer me when I asked him what we should do to rid each other of our loneliness. But I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to make love to him. I wanted to reach out to him and show him how much I still loved him. But at the same time, I was trying to keep from taking advantage of him, because he was vulnerable right now, since he missed his daughter. And despite his anger with Jessica, he missed her too. "Sean," Nick said, once he'd snapped out of his trance. "I appreciate what you're trying to do to make me feel better." Nick then laid it all out for me. He was going to let me know what was on his mind. "But sex is not going to fix anything." He said, bluntly. "I don't...." Nick stopped, in mid-sentence. He probably was going to tell me something that I wasn't going to like, and decided against it. But, I wanted him to finish what he was going to say. "You don't "what" Nick?" I asked him, frowning slightly. "What is it that you were going to say?" Nick swallowed, nervously, unsure whether or not he should tell me what he wanted to. "I can't tell you." Nick said. "It will only hurt you, and I don't want to do that. I've hurt you enough, in the past, and I don't want to cause you anymore pain. You don't deserve it." I put my hands on his shoulders, my face full of concern. I was starting to sense that something was on Nick's mind. Something big. "Nick, don't worry about sparing my feelings." I said. "If you have something to tell me, please do. I want you to be honest with me. Even if it hurts, I need to know what you are feeling." Nick looked down for a moment, thinking it over. Then he looked up at me and nodded. "Alright." He said. "If that's what you want, then I'll tell you." I dropped my hands from his shoulders and let him prepare himself to tell me what was on his mind. "As I said, before, I really appreciate the efforts you're putting forth in trying to cheer me up." Nick started saying. "But sex is not the answer. First of all, because I'm still a married man. Second of all, because afterward I would feel like I had used you and I'm not about to do that to you. Not ever." Nick put his hands around my upper arms and as I watched, I saw his eyes close, momentarily. "Oh God, how do I say this?" He asked himself. I could see how torn up he was over whatever it was that he wanted to tell me. Nick then opened his eyes and looked back at me for a long time. Then, he spoke the truth. "Sean, I'm not in love with you anymore." Nick said, a sad note in his voice. "Not the way I used to be when you were my husband, years ago." When Nick confessed the truth to me, I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces. Seeing the man I loved, standing here, telling me that he didn't feel the same way about me, was torture. I had to fight like hell to hold back the tears after he said that to me. I walked past him and headed towards my bedroom window and looked out of it. As I did, I heard Nick's voice from behind me again. "I'm terribly sorry if that hurts you in any way, but you asked me to be honest with you about how I'm feeling." Nick said. I didn't turn around. But I nodded, letting Nick know that I agreed with him. "It's alright, Nick." I said, even though I was lying to him and to myself. "You don't have to explain it to me. I understand." "No, you don't." Nick said, sounding concerned. "You don't, because I haven't told you why." I was silent, as I listened for Nick to continue. "When I left town, I was struggling to find myself and I was under alot of pressure to decide which person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with: You, or Jessica." As I listened to Nick, I willed away the tears that were threatening to fall any minute. But for Nick's sake, as well as mine, I had to be strong. "I had to decide who I loved more." Nick said. "Between Jessica, the beautiful wife that I still love and adore, to this day. Or, the man that I once loved, and thought I could love again." "And when I was in New York, revisiting all the places that you and I had been to and reliving all the memories that we shared together, it hit me." I took a deep breath, as I waited for Nick to come to his conclusion. "I realized that Jessica was the person that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Because when I thought about it, you and I had only been together for a few short months. But Jessica and I, we go back years. And then, I realized that you and I were definitely over and that we could never go back to the way things were before. You and I both have changed too much since then." I turned around and faced Nick. I could see that he had a few tears running down his face. "Well if what you say is true, then why are you crying?" I asked him. "That has to mean something." "It does." Nick replied. "Having to rehash what I went through while I was away was hard. Not to mention the guilt I'm feeling, right now, because I know that I'm hurting your feelings and I hate it." "Nick, I'm ok." I said, trying to reassure him. "I understand what you're saying. And you're right. We can't go back to the way things were when we were together. I know it's over between us. So, don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Nick was silent for a moment and he just stood there, looking at me, as if he were trying to figure me out. When he studied me a little too long, I couldn't take it anymore. "Why are you looking at me like that, Nick?" I asked him, in wonder. "What's on your mind?" Nick took a few steps towards me so that he was right in front of me. Then he put his arms around me and pulled me in for a brief hug. "I was just thinking about how much you have changed." Nick said, as he hugged me tight. "You're taking what I've told you very well and I'm very proud of you." "Thanks, Nick." I said, with a sad look in my eyes. Nick could not see it because we were hugging. "It means alot to me to hear you say that." I could feel Nick rubbing his hand up and down my upper back, which was comforting to me. "No problem." Nick said. "I may not be in love with you, anymore, but that doesn't mean that I don't love you. I will always love you, as my friend. That will never change." Nick let go of me and I pulled back and looked him, in the face. I was really grateful to him for his support. Nick continued, talking. "You know," He said, all of a sudden, with a smile. "I remember thinking a long time ago, that if you weren't my husband, I would definitely want you for my best friend." I smiled back at him, as I thought back to happier times. "Well, back then was when you were really lucky." I said to him, smiling, warmly. "Because, I was both." Before Nick could say anything else, there was a knock on the door. "Who is it?!" I called out, wondering who was at my bedroom door. Then I heard a man's voice. "Sean, it's Casey!" I heard. "Can I come in?" I looked back at Nick, who nodded, giving me permission to go and see what Casey wanted. I walked over to the door and opened it. I saw Casey, standing there, looking back at me. "Hi, Casey." I greeted him, as I stood in the doorway, looking at him. "What can I do for you?" "I need to talk to you." Casey said to me. "May I come in?" "Sure." I said, stepping aside so that he could enter my room. As Casey walked into my room, he also came face to face with Nick. Hi, Nick." He said, to Nick. "I didn't realize that you were in here." "Hi, Casey." Nick said. "Don't worry about that, I actually have to be getting back out there with the guys. You go ahead and talk to Sean." Nick started to leave, but I stopped him. "Nick, we're not done talking." I said, clutching his arm. "We need to finish what we were discussing." "We will later, Sean." Nick said. "Right now, I'm hungry." I saw Nick rubbing his washboard stomach after he said that, and that made me laugh. "Well, in that case, we can't have you starving now, can we?" I asked, with a laugh. "No way." Nick said, with a smile. "I'll talk to you later." Nick started walking towards the door. As he passed by Casey, he smiled at him and stopped for a moment. "Just so you know, Casey, it's really great seeing you again." Nick said, extending his hand out to Casey. "Besides, I never really got a chance to give you a proper greeting when you were here earlier." "It's alright, Nick." Casey said, as he shook hands with Nick. "I understand. It must have been a shock seeing your brother back, unexpectedly, along with that kiss he planted on me in front of everyone." "That's an understatement." Nick laughed. "Seeing him kiss you, that was a real shock." "Tell me about it." Casey agreed. laughing too. "I thought I was going to die of embarrassment." "Speak for yourself, man." I broke in. "When I saw Jake's face, I thought that he was going to have a heart attack." Casey frowned. "Jake seemed ok with me when I was out there talking with him during dinner." He said. "I know." I explained to him. "But Jake still gets uncomfortable from time to time, seeing other guys kissing each other. He is straight after all." Casey then gave me a concerned look. "Do I need to worry about anything where Jake is concerned?" He asked me. "Oh no." I reassured him. "Jake doesn't have a problem with you being gay. He just isn't comfortable seeing public displays of affection between guys, when it comes to kissing and other stuff." "Thanks for letting me know that." Casey said, nodding at me. "I'll be a little more careful from now on." The three of us were silent for a moment, until Nick's stomach decided to break it, by letting his hunger be known, for it growled loudly. Casey, Nick, and I all started laughing profusely. "On that note, I think that's your stomach telling you to feed it." I said to Nick, laughing. "Don't keep it waiting any longer. Go eat." "Ok." Nick laughed, as he planted a kiss on my cheek. "We'll talk later." Nick told Casey that he'd talk to him later and he left my room and closed the door behind him. Once Nick was gone, I saw Casey turn back to me. "So, Casey, what is it that you need to talk to me about?" I asked him, curiously. Casey looked at me and I could definitely tell that there was going to be alot of catching up to do for both of us. ******************************************************* MEANWHILE, BACK OUT IN THE KITCHEN......... Nick re-entered the kitchen and saw everyone, sitting around the table and talking still, while eating dinner. Nick sat back down in his seat and started to eat his food. When he realized that it had gotten cold, he picked his plate up and took it over to the microwave to heat it up some. As he was putting his plate of food into the microwave, Drew came over to him. "Hey, Bro." He said. "You look a little preoccupied. Is something wrong?" Nick looked at Drew and saw just how concerned he was. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he opened up a little to Drew and told him what was going on. "I guess I might as well tell you since you're going to find out anyway." Nick said, deciding to come clean about what was happening in his life. Drew frowned, noticing the seriousness in Nick's tone. Whatever Nick was going to tell him, he knew that it wasn't going to be good. "Find out what?" He asked Nick, a concerned look on his face. Nick sighed. "Jessica and I are currently separated." He said to Drew. "I told her that I wanted a legal separation last night." When Drew heard that, he was visibly shocked by it. He couldn't believe that his brother's marriage had gotten this bad. "Oh man, Nick." Drew said, sympathetically. "I had no idea things were this bad, I'm sorry. What happened?" Just then, the microwave beeped, as it finished heating up Nick's food, interrupting them briefly. "It's a long story, Drew." Nick said, as he opened the microwave and took out his food. "I'll tell you more about it later." "Alright." Drew said. "Since I'm done with my dinner now, I'm going to go and ask Sean if there's a place that I can lay down for awhile and take a nap. I didn't get much rest since I took an overnight flight to get here." Nick nodded, understanding Drew's position. He had done the same thing this morning. "Tell me about it." He said. I'm in the same boat as you. Jeff, Danny, Justin, Kandi, and I flew overnight in our private jet here to surprise Sean for Christmas." "Really?" Drew asked, impressed by that. "That was very nice of you all to do that." After saying that, Drew covered his mouth to stifle a yawn. Nick took a good look at him and saw just how tired Drew really was. "Why don't you go and lay down in the guest room right across from Sean's room?" Nick suggested to him. "I'm sure Sean won't mind. Right now, he's busy talking with Casey in his room." "Ok." Drew said. "Thanks, Nick. I'm going to go and lay down now." "Sure." Nick said, and then pointed down the hallway. "It's the last door at the end of the hallway to the right. Sean's room is to the left of it." "Alright, Nick." Drew said, smiling. "And thanks again." "Have a good rest." Nick said, as he watched Drew walk off to the guest bedroom. Nick sighed and took his food back to the table and resumed to eating it, now that it was hot again. While, he was doing that, he happened to glance over at Jeff and Danny, who were finishing up with their dinner. He saw Danny get up, saying that he was going to use the bathroom. As soon as Danny left, Nick looked back at Jeff and saw that something was weighing heavily on Jeff's mind. "Jeff, are you ok?" Nick asked him, as he watched Jeff picking at his food. Jeff looked up when he heard Nick's voice and saw the concern in Nick's face. "I'm alright, Nick." Jeff said, softly. "Why do you ask?" Nick shrugged. "I don't know." He replied to Jeff. "You just don't seem your usual self. Is everything alright?" Jeff set down his fork and wiped his mouth. Then he looked back up at Nick and prepared to say what was on his mind. "Not here." He said, standing up. "Come with me, outside." Nick frowned as he stood up to follow Jeff, who was already heading for the door. He followed Jeff outside and closed the door behind him. ******************************************************* MEANWHILE, BACK IN SEAN'S ROOM............... "I wanted to talk to you and catch up with you." Casey said to me. "After all, I haven't seen or heard from you, in two years." Just then, Casey frowned, as if he were remembering something really important. "Come to think of it," He continued. "I haven't seen you since your wedding day when you married Nick." "I know." I said, sadly. "And I'm really sorry that I never stayed in touch with you when I needed my friends most. I guess I should tell you what I've been through since we last saw each other." Casey shook his head. "There's no need, Sean." He said. "I already know what you went through." "You do?" I asked, surprised. "How much do you know?" Casey walked over to me and stopped, just in front of me, a serious look on your face. "I know everything." He said. "I know about how Nick and the rest of your friends disowned you. Your moving here to Orlando, your suicide attempt, and everything else that you've been through." "Did Drew tell you?" I asked him, curious as to how he found out. "Yes, he did." Casey said. "He told me when we came face to face in New York." "Ah, I see." I said, nodding. Then I looked back up at him. "How did you feel about that?" "Oh, I was furious with him." Casey said, an angry look crossing his face, but only briefly. "At first. But when Drew talked to me, I could see something in him that made me feel bad for him. He seemed so lost and so alone, that I couldn't stay mad at him for long." While Casey told me everything that had gone on in New York between him and Drew, I couldn't help but feel the bitterness come back again, thinking about how Drew had betrayed me and Nick, by sabotaging our marriage. "Well, I can after what he did to me, Casey." I said, the bitterness obvious in my voice. "After what he did to me and Nick, it's extremely hard for me to get past it." Casey looked up at me, again. He looked like he knew what I was referring to, but I wasn't sure if he knew about that part. "Are you talking about how Drew fixed it up so that you and Nick wouldn't be together, legally?" He asked me, then said. "If that's what it is, I know about that too." "Boy." I said, in amazement. "You weren't lying when you said you knew "everything." "No, I wasn't." Casey laughed. "Drew sure took a huge risk in telling me the truth. It shows just how much he's learned from what he's done." "You should have seen him before he took off and left so abruptly." I told Casey. "For awhile, it looked like he and I were going to be something together, but then later, He saw an incident between me, Matt, and Ben and he flipped out. He was so insecure and he was such a whiner and he constantly questioned whether or not I ever really cared about him. He felt like I had used him. He even called me a slut to my face, once." Now, this amazed Casey, for his eyebrows shot up, in surprise. "Really?" He asked, blown away. "That certainly doesn't sound like the Drew I know." I frowned. "What do you mean?" I asked him. "The Drew Lachey I talked to in New York, did seem really lost." Casey explained to me. "But, I also saw this fiery determination within him, the more we talked and got to know one another. Drew vowed to make things right again and he swore that he would do whatever it took to get back his brother's trust, and forgiveness, and yours as well." I nodded, listening to him, but didn't say anything. "So, when he told me that he was going to fly in to Orlando to talk to you first, before he flew back home, that's when I knew that I had to come and see you." Casey concluded. "I had to come and tell you that I forgive you too, for breaking contact with me as well. I'm glad to have you back in my life again, too." When Casey finished saying all of that, I grinned widely. I was so happy that he was willing to put it all behind him and move past it all. "Come here." I said, extending my arms out, offering a hug if he chose to take it. Casey obliged and wrapped his arms around me and hugged me, hard. "Merry Christmas, Sean." Casey said, as we continued to hug. "Merry Christmas, Casey." I said, softly. ******************************************************* OUTSIDE, ON THE BEACH..................... "Now that you got me outside here with you, Jeff, can you tell me what's going on now?" Nick said, as they walked down the beach. "You're starting to worry me with your silence." "I know." Jeff said. "I just am not sure where to start." "It's alright, Jeff." Nick said, patting Jeff on the shoulder. "Take your time, buddy." They kept walking as Jeff thought about what he wanted to say to Nick. And as Nick watched Jeff, closely, he could see that whatever Jeff was going through was major. Finally, Jeff looked like he was ready to talk about it. "Alright, Nick, I'm ready." Jeff said, as he stopped walking. So did Nick. "Well, don't keep me in suspense, man." Nick said, anxiously. "What's up?" Jeff looked at Nick for a moment, before speaking. Then, finally, he spoke. "It's about Danny." Jeff said. "I'm starting to wonder if he and I really are meant for each other." Hearing that from Jeff, Nick was floored. He'd never thought that this would ever have been an issue with Jeff. To Nick, Jeff and Danny were a solid couple. Now, here was Jeff, telling him that he was questioning whether or not he and Danny were meant to be. "What?" Nick asked, in shock. "Jeff, whatever happened to make you question that?" Jeff's eyes shifted down to the ground, and Nick was starting to pick up a really weird vibe from Jeff. There was definitely something going on that Jeff wasn't telling him. "Jeff," Nick said. "I can sense that there's something you're not telling me. What is it?" Jeff looked back up at Nick. When he did, Nick could see that Jeff was close to tears. "Oh God, Nick!" Jeff whispered getting choked up, as a tear slid down his face. "How do I tell him? How do I tell Danny that I don't think that I'm in love with him anymore?" After getting that all out, Jeff couldn't go on and he turned away. He crumpled to the ground and started sobbing. All Nick could do was stand there, in total shock. He couldn't believe that things had come to this between Jeff and Danny. He didn't know what this meant for them, but one thing he did know is how crushed Danny was going to be if Jeff decided to end their relationship. Nick watched Jeff sob, and his heart really went out to him. He knelt down and put his hands on Jeff's shoulders and gently squeezed them, offering Jeff his support. "My God, Jeff, I had no idea." Nick said. "I never thought that your feelings for Danny would ever change." "Neither did I." Jeff said, as he wiped his face. "I didn't think it was even possible. To me, I always had the perfect guy. Now, I wonder if that's really true." Nick, feeling sympathetic towards Jeff, leaned into him and gave him a hug, which Jeff accepted. "Jeff?" Nick asked, as he hugged Jeff. "Have you met someone else?" ******************************************************* BACK INSIDE, IN SEAN'S ROOM............ Casey and I pulled back from our hug, just in time to hear someone knock on the bedroom door again. "Come in!" I called out to whoever it was. "It's open!" The door opened and Drew popped his head in, briefly. I took a good look at him and saw that he looked dead on his feet. "Am I interrupting?" He asked, with a worried look on his face. "Oh no." I said, shaking my head. "Casey and I were just catching up on things. What's up?" "I just came to ask you if it'd be alright if I crashed in your guest bedroom for awhile?" Drew asked me. "I'm really beat and I need some rest." Even though, I wasn't all that thrilled that Drew was around, I wasn't about to deny him any rest. He and I had alot of issues left to resolve, but it was Christmas and it was a day to put our differences aside. Christmas was a time for giving. "Sure, Drew." I said. "You look like you really do need it. Go ahead and get some sleep." Drew smiled at me. "Thank you." He said, warmly. "I'm going to go and lay down now." Drew started to pull back and shut the door. "Drew, wait!" Casey called out to him. "I'll come with you!" Drew peeked his head back in and when he saw Casey smiling at him, his face broke into a huge grin. "Are you sure you want to?" He said, softly. "Because if you do, I won't be getting any sleep." That was a bit too much information for me to hear. "Ok, you two, if you're going where I think you are, then keep that to yourselves, ok?" I laughed, raising my hands up. "I don't need to know the details of your sex life." "Really?" Drew asked, with a grin. "Since when?" Seeing the dopey looks on both of their faces was a little too much for me to take. But it was cute to see, nonetheless. "You two just shut up and go get some sleep." I said, with a laugh. "And if you decide to get physical, you just remember that those doors have locks on them for a reason. And should you have the energy to go at it like rabbits, I suggest you keep it down. I don't want to hear any noises of any kind, you got it?" Casey nodded at me, even though he and Drew were smiling like Cheshire cats. "Yes, Sean, we got it." Casey said. "We're both tired, so sex is the last thing on our minds right now." Hearing Casey say that, Drew gave him a funny look and then he elbowed him in the arm. "Are you sure about that, hot stuff?" He asked Casey, then added. "I hear that sex is a great way to treat insomnia, so it'll be a great way to get to sleep." Casey then looked at Drew and gave him a serious look. A look that I hadn't seen before. Drew seemed to know what it was about. "I'm sorry, Casey." He said. "I totally forgot that you're not ready yet after what happened with Paul." When he mentioned Paul, I saw the same look on Casey's face that I did when I asked him about Paul earlier and I was now more concerned than ever. "Ok, I've had it." I said to both of them. They turned and looked at me, both of them frowning. "What's wrong, Sean?" Drew asked me. "What do you mean you've had it?" I looked over at Casey and saw him wipe at his eyes. "I've had it with the suspense. It's killing me." I said. "You keep talking about something that happened with Paul. What happened? What did he do to you, Casey?" Pushing Casey to talk about Paul was probably not the best thing, for the next thing I knew, Casey was angry. "Damn it, Sean!" Casey said, a little harshly. "Can't you understand that I'm not ready to talk about it yet?! It's not something that I can share with everyone all at once. The pain is just too much and I had a hard enough time telling Drew!" "Alright, I'm sorry." I said, raising my hands, trying to get him to calm down. "I didn't mean to push too hard." Casey face softened after I apologized and I saw that he looked like he regretted being so harsh with me, at that moment. "No, Sean, I'm sorry." Casey said, softly. "Can we talk about this another time? Drew and I really do need our rest right now." I nodded. I knew I wanted to stay on good terms with Casey and I didn't want to do anything to screw up what was left of our friendship, so I let the subject of Paul go for the time being. "Sure." I said. "You two go ahead and get some sleep. We'll talk later." "Thanks." Casey said. "Drew and I will see you later." After saying that, he and Drew turned and left my room and closed the door behind them. I lied down on my bed and thought about what had almost happened with me and Nick earlier. I thought over everything that Nick had said to me earlier. I knew that he wasn't in love with me, anymore, but a part of me did not want to believe that. And now that Nick had told me that he and Jessica may be separating, I wanted more than anything just to tell Nick my true feelings right now. But I couldn't do it, now that I knew that Nick no longer loved me in the romantic sense anymore. So, for Nick's sake, I decided to just keep quiet. For now. As I thought over things, and listened to the sound of the water crashing against the sandy shores of the beach, I started to feel very tired. The next thing I knew, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep. ******************************************************* BACK OUTSIDE, ON THE BEACH................. Jeff pulled back from Nick's hug and wiped at his eyes. "Yes, Nick." Jeff said, sadly. "There is someone else. Someone who I'm really close to." Now, Nick was even more concerned than before. He also wondered about something else. "Jeff, I'm going to ask you something and I want you to be straight with me." Nick said, his tone serious. Jeff frowned, in confusion. "What?" He asked. Nick was a little unsure of himself whether or not he should even bring up the subject, but if he wanted to help Jeff get through this, he had to ask now. "Have you been seeing someone else while you've been with Danny?" He asked Jeff. "And have you cheated on Danny?" Nick must have touched a nerve, because Jeff took that question a little personally. "Damn it, Nick! No!" Jeff said, loudly. "I would never cheat on my boyfriend!" "Are you sure about that?" Nick asked him, then said. "I never thought I would have cheated on Sean when I was with him, but I did, once before." "Well, I'm not you, Nick!" Jeff said, bitterly, remembering that time. Nick's concerned expression changed to hurt over Jeff's harsh words. He understood why Jeff had said that, but it still hurt him to hear it. Jeff's eyes widened when he realized what he had done. "Shit! Nick, I'm sorry!" Jeff said, throwing his arms around Nick, as he apologized to him. "I didn't mean it like that. Forgive me, man. I'm just so confused right now. I don't know what to do where my relationship with Danny is concerned." Nick hesitated, slightly, before putting his arms around Jeff. He still felt a little hurt over what Jeff had said. But, he knew that Jeff didn't mean it. "It's ok, Jeff." Nick said, as he patted Jeff's back lightly. "I understand. It hurt, but I understand why you said what you said. If you say you haven't cheated on Danny, then I believe you. After all, I'm a perfect example of an unfaithful man, aren't I?" That admission from Nick, sure surprised the hell out of Jeff. Jeff pulled back and looked Nick in the face. "Nick, just because you were unfaithful one time before doesn't mean that you will always be an unfaithful man." Jeff said, as he gazed at Nick. "You've been a very loyal and loving husband to Jessica. And you been faithful to her." Nick eyes shifted downwards when Jeff finished saying that last part. Jeff saw that and then questioned Nick again. "You have been faithful to Jessica, right?" Nick didn't know what to say to that. But he wasn't going to lie to Jeff either. "Well, yes and no." He said, nervously, running his fingers through his hair, which was fluttering in the wind. Jeff squinted. "What does that mean?" Jeff asked "Either you've been faithful or you haven't. Which is it?" "The reason I say yes and no is because there's different meanings to it. Yes I've been faithful because I haven't slept with Sean, and no because Sean and I have kissed quite a few times." Jeff eyebrows shot up at that admission from Nick. Then a grin crossed his face. "So, does this mean that you and Sean are getting back together?" Nick started to answer Jeff, but he was interrupted by a car horn honking. He and Jeff both turned around to see who was honking at him. Nick's jaw dropped when he saw Jessica at the wheel of a shiny Mercedes convertible. And she had the baby with her. Jessica got out of the car and went around to unstrap Nicole, while Nick and Jeff walked up to her car. "I can't believe you're here!" Nick said, in shock. "What made you decide to come?" Jessica smiled at him, warmly, as she lifted Nicole out of the car seat. She walked over to Nick and handed Nicole to him. "Let's talk about that, later." She said, as Nick accepted the toddler and cradled her in his arms. "Right now, I think we should get through the rest of Christmas Day before we get into anything heavy later, alright?" "That's fine with me." Nick said, as he rocked Nicole in his arms. "And thank you so much for bringing our daughter. I really missed her." Nick looked up at her and smiled at her. "I missed you too, despite everything that's going on with us right now." He added. "Come on, let's go inside." Jessica said, walking towards the apartment. "We're right behind you, Jessica." Jeff said, as he and Nick followed Jessica back into Sean's apartment. ******************************************************* LATER THAT NIGHT............. I woke up a little bit later to hear the sounds of laughter coming from in the living room. I wondered what everyone was doing at that moment. I looked at the clock and was shocked to see that it was almost 10:00p.m. I couldn't believe that I had slept for so long. And I also wondered why nobody had awakened me. But, I was going to find out. I sat up and stretched, getting all the sleep out of me so that I was more awake. I wiped the sleep out of my eyes and got up off of the bed. I then walked to the door and opened it, heading for the bathroom. I went in, did my business, and brushed my teeth so that I wouldn't have bad breath when I went out to hang out with everyone, out in the living room. I finished up what I had to do and walked out of the bathroom and down the hall towards the living room. When I turned the corner, towards the living room, I was stopped in my tracks from what I saw before my eyes: Justin, Jeff, Danny, Drew, and Casey were sitting on the floor around the TV, and had a board game sitting in the center of the circle. From what I was seeing on the TV, they must be playing "Scene It?" As I looked around the room, my jaw dropped when I saw that Jessica was here. "When did she get here?" "And why didn't anyone tell me that she was coming?" I watched Jessica and Nick, who were sitting on the sofa and talking softly to one another. I also noticed that Jessica had brought Nicole with her. The little toddler was asleep in Nick's arms I darted back, out of sight before anyone could see me and listened from around the corner Since I was standing in the hallway, which led right into the living room, and the kitchen was to my right, the guys all had their backs to me. I could see the back of the couch, since Nick and Jessica were sitting on it, so their back were to me, also. >From where I was hiding, I could hear Nick and Jessica, both talking to each other. "I can't thank you enough for bringing our little angel here with you, Baby." "Baby?" I thought to myself, when I heard Nick say that. "What the hell?!" I then heard Jessica speak next. "I had to, Nick." Jessica said, quietly. "She missed you. We both did." "I missed you both, too." Nick said "And I'm really glad that we talked earlier and got everything out in the open." I frowned when Nick said that. "What exactly did he mean by that? "What had they talked about?" "So, does that mean that you'll come back home?" Jessica asked him. "Will you give our marriage another shot?" When I heard her ask Nick that, I peeked around the corner, wanting to see and hear what his answer would be. But I ended up regretting it. Instead of answering Jessica right away, I saw Nick bring a hand up to her face and she brought her hand up to his and cupped it. Then, Nick leaned in and kissed her, on the lips. When I saw Nick, kissing Jessica, that was all it took for me to lose it. But I wasn't about to lose it in front of everyone. Especially not Nick. I slowly shifted back into the hallway and tiptoed back to my room. I snicked the door quietly shut and went back over to my bed and crashed down upon it, as I tried to keep control of my emotions. "This can't be happening!" I whispered as the first set of tears ran down my face. "Nick can't be getting back together with her! She's not good for him!" "But what was I going to do?" I couldn't just let Jessica worm her way back into Nick's good graces. Nick told me that he and Jessica were separating. I guess I shouldn't have put it past Jessica to try and make a play for Nick, in order to win him back. Something had to be done. I had to stop her, somehow. "But how? What could I do?" My eyes narrowed, and an emotionless look crossed my face, when I finally realized what I could do. "The only way to stop Jessica from hurting Nick again," I said, in a chilling voice. "is to get rid of her!" To Be Continued........? COMING UP NEXT: Don't miss what happens next when Jessica's plan is revealed! Will it send Sean over the edge?" "What happens next?" Oh, if you only knew!" Stay tuned. slpwriter@yahoo.com __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - You care about security. So do we. http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail