Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 23:38:20 -0800 (PST)
From: slpwriter <slpwriter@yahoo.com>
Subject: Nick Lachey: My Everything-67

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.

"What I feel for you." is an awesome story and
Thack, himself deserves applause for all of his hard
work on it.

NEWSFLASH:

It is heard that Nick Lachey has signed a deal with
ABC to star in his own comedy or drama series. Lets
all keep our fingers crossed and hope that we get to
see Nick Lachey do great things as an actor as well.

Before any of that happens, you can still catch Nick
Lachey and his brother, Drew, on "Newlyweds: Nick and
Jessica." The show airs Wednesdays on MTV at 10:00p.m.
Eastern Standard Time (EST) and 9:00p.m. Central
Standard Time. (CST)

 Now, I"ll let you get on with the story.

Enjoy.


Previously on "My Everything".....


Nick looked at Drew, sadly.

"You know, I feel sorry for you." Nick said. "I feel
sorry for all of us." For you, and for me. And for Mom
and Dad, the guys, Kandi, Jessica, and our daughter."

Nick choked up and he couldn't go on.

"I feel sorry for all of us." He whimpered. "I gotta
get out of here!"

He grabbed his keys from off the dresser, wiping at
his face as his tears continued to fall.

When he'd gotten the rest of his things together, he
looked back up at Drew, who hung his head in shame.

"I don't know how I'm ever going to forgive you for
this." Nick said to him. "Maybe someday, I will."

Drew turned away, unable to look at his brother. He
knew what Nick was saying. Their relationship was
over. They would probably never be the same loving
brothers ever again. What he had done had destroyed
Nick and their brotherly bond forever.

"But I think," Nick continued. "That when it finally
sinks in what you've done, you're going to have a hard
time forgiving yourself. Good luck."

Drew walked towards the door to leave Nick's room. As
he started to pass by Nick, he grabbed him and hugged
him tightly.

At first, Nick resisted, but then he threw his arms
around his brother and hugged him tightly, as he began
to lose control of his emotions.

"I'm sorry, Nick!" Drew cried, as he sobbed into
Nick's chest. "Oh God, I'm so sorry!"

Nick also started crying as he held his brother close.

"So am, I." He said, trying to keep his voice steady.
"I'm sorry that this is going to be the last brotherly
hug that we share."

Drew looked up at Nick, as they pulled back. Drew
could see the pain in Nick's eyes.

"Why, Nick?" He wanted to know. But he had a feeling
that he knew what Nick was going to say.

"Because, you and I will never be friends again after
this." Nick told him. "Now go and pack up your
things."

Drew sobbed, as he turned around and started walking
out the door. As he did, Nick's voice rang out again.

"You are not my brother!"

Drew froze in his tracks when he heard that, but
didn't turn around.

"Not anymore." Nick finished.

Drew slowly turned around and looked into his
brother's eyes and what he saw there ripped at his
very core: Nick had meant those words.

"I understand." Drew said, his voice barely audible.

Those were his last words before he left Nick's room
and went into his to pack up his stuff to leave. He
shut Nick's door behind him.

Nick walked over to the dresser where his wedding
picture with Jessica was sitting. He looked at it for
a moment. Then his anger with Jessica came up again
and he threw the picture across the room. It hit the
wall and the glass shattered into a million pieces.

"Now, what do I do?" Nick asked, outloud. Just then,
his eyes fell onto the phone.

He grabbed it and dialed it. It started ringing and he
waited for a response.

"Hello?" He heard a familiar voice say.


"Sean, it's Nick." Nick said, into the phone. "We need
to talk."


***********
CHAPTER 67
***********

ORLANDO..............

I was on the phone with Nick, who had called me. He
sounded really upset for some reason. I think I knew
why.

"Nick?" I asked him. "What's wrong? You sound
terrible. Almost like you've been crying."

Yes, Sean, I have been crying." Nick said. "I'm very
upset right now. I just found out that Drew sabotaged
our wedding all those years ago. He's the reason that
you and I were never legally married."

I felt bad for him, at that moment, knowing what it
must have done to him to hear what his brother had
done. It was beyond unforgiveable.

"I know, Nick." I whispered, sympathetically. "I found
out about it by accident, when I overheard Drew on his
cellphone outside, talking to someone."

"Never mind that." Nick suddenly said. "You can tell
me all about it in person. I have to come and see you.
Do you have any plans for today?"

I frowned as I thought about it. I didn't have
anything special planned for the day, but I was
surprised that Nick was wanting to come to see me.

"No, Nick, I don't have any plans for today." I said,
wondering why that was important.

"Good." Nick said. "I'm going to catch the first
flight out of L.A. I should be in Orlando sometime
this evening."

"Alright, Nick." I said. "If you feel you have to
come, I won't stop you."

"Good." Nick said. "I'm going to head straight there
from the airport. You be there."

I frowned, at his tone of voice. He sounded angry all
of a sudden, and I don't think it was just directed at
Drew."

"Nick, you sound mad." I said, in concern. "Do you
care to tell me what this is all about?

I didn't get a response.

"Nick?" I asked again. "Hello?"

Instead of getting an answer, I was met with the dial
tone. Nick had hung up on me! But why?

I replaced the phone in it's cradle and got up to grab
my keys to leave the house.

When Nick had called, I was actually going to head to
the store to buy some groceries, since I was getting
low. Now, that I knew that Nick would be joining me, I
was going to make sure that I had enough food in the
house for all of us.

I left the house and locked up. As I headed for my
SUV, I saw Jake coming towards me.

"Hey, buddy." He said, as he walked up to me. "Where
are you off to?"

"The supermarket." I said. "Nick's flying in tonight
to see me so we can talk about things, and I want to
make sure there is enough food in the house for us
tonight."

"Cool." Jake said. "I have to go to the supermarket as
well to pick up a few things too. Since you're already
headed there, do you mind if I come with you?"

I thought that was a great idea. After all, I hadn't
really had much time with him, except of course for
last night and earlier today..

"Sure." I said, smiling. "I could use the company
right now. Are you going to tell Michelle that you're
coming with me?"

"I'll call her in the car." Jake said, as he walked
with me to my SUV.

"Alright." I said, as I unlocked the doors. "We can't
be too long because Nick will be here this evening."

Jake and I got into the SUV and I started the engine
and pulled out of the parking lot. We then started
driving towards the supermarket.

While I drove, I had alot of time to think about what
I was going to do when Nick arrived. A part of me was
thrilled that he was coming, and yet, the other part
of me was terrified that I would give away my true
feelings.

I didn't want Nick to know how I felt about him. I
wasn't ready for that, and I don't think Nick was
either. Even if he returned my feelings, How did I
know that he wasn't just reacting to what Drew had
told him?"

But the one thing I did know is that I had to let Nick
go. I had to find a way to come to terms with the fact
that Nick was with Jessica now, and that there was no
way that he and I could ever be together again.

"Sean?" Jake's voice interrupted my thoughts. I turned
to look at him.

"What?" I asked, as I blinked a few times, bringing
myself back to reality.

Jake was looking at me, closely, with a concerned look
on his face. He was obviously worried about me, which
made me realize just how lucky I was to have met him.

He was starting to be like a brother to me. He had
done nothing but offer me support during my long and
hard road to recovery, which proved what a great
friend he was. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that I
could count on him whenever I needed a friend. I knew
that he would be there for me.

"Are you alright?" He asked me. "You look about a
million miles away."

"I was." I said, as I drove along the freeway, and
stopped at a red light. "I was thinking about how I'm
going to handle being around Nick tonight."

"I was wondering about that, too." Jake said, nodding
his head. "Are you going to tell Nick that you're in
love with him?"

"No." I said. "Which is why I have to come up with a
plan as to how I'm going to handle it when he does
come to the house. I don't know yet, what to do, but
the one thing I do know is that there's no future for
Nick and me."

The light turned green and I started driving again.
The supermarket was just a few blocks down the road,
yet.

"You really shouldn't jump to any conclusions yet,
buddy." Jake said, trying to get me to keep an open
mind. "At least not until you've talked to Nick and
find out where things stand."

I nodded, knowing that he was right. I did have to
find that out eventually. But did it have to be right
now?"

"I'll think about it, Jake." I said, reaching over and
patting his shoulder, thanking him for his support.

I then saw the supermarket ahead.

"Well, buddy, let's get the food and get ready for
tonight." I said, as I turned into the parking lot.

*******************************************************
BACK IN LOS ANGELES..............

Nick was on the phone, in his room, with the airline.
He was booking a flight to Orlando. He was writing
down the flight information, when he heard someone
knocking on his door.

He turned and saw Jessica, standing in the doorway. He
waved his fingers towards him, motioning for her to
come into the room.

Jessica sat beside him, on the bed, as he finished his
phone call and hung up the phone.

"You're going to see Sean, aren't you?" Jessica asked
him.

Nick looked up and looked her in the face. It was at
that moment that he saw the hell she was going
through. Jessica's eyes were red from crying, and
there were still tears, running down her face, even
now. Nick felt sorry for hurting her the way he did,
earlier.

"Yes, I am." Nick said, as he held her close. "I'm
going to see him. We need to talk."

Jessica raised her head and looked at Nick, the hurt
obvious on her face.

"Nick, don't go." Jessica begged him. "Please? Stay
here. I need you. Our daughter needs you."

Nick looked at her, sadly. He knew it was killing her
that he was going to see Sean. He knew how much she
disliked him.

"Jessica, I have to go." Nick said. "You and our baby
girl will be alright until I get back."

 Nick got up and walked over to the closet to get his
suitcase. He grabbed it and carried it over to the
bed.

"When will you be back?" Jessica asked him, hoping to
get a timetable that was to her liking.

"In a few days." Nick said, as he set his suitcase on
his bed and opened it up.

He walked over to his closet and grabbed some shirts
and clothes out of it and took them to his suitcase
and loaded them into it.

"Well, what if I need to get ahold of you while you're
gone?" Jessica asked him, as he walked over to his
dresser drawers.

"My cellphone will be on when I get to Orlando." Nick
said, starting to get annoyed with all of her
questions. "If you need to get a hold of me, you only
call if it's an emergency, involving our family, or
Nicole."

"But, baby-" Jessica started to say, but Nick cut her
off.

"No buts, Jessica." Nick said, firmly. "I'm going to
see Sean and that's final. There's nothing you can do
to change my mind."

Jessica shook her head, in defeat, as she watched Nick
pack up his suitcase. She was desperate to get some
answers from Nick.

"So, what does this mean, Nick?" Jessica asked him,
crossing her arms over her chest. "Are you going to
leave me for Sean?"

Nick stopped packing and looked up at her, surprised
that she was asking him that question. He sure didn't
expect it.

"Jessica, right now, I don't know what I am going to
do." Nick said. "As for leaving you, I'm not even
thinking about that right now. I just need to get away
for awhile. Once I get back, then I'll have a better
idea where things stand, but until then, please just
stop with the questions, alright?"

Nick finished packing up his suitcase and zipped it
up. He picked it up and headed to the door. Once he
was there, he turned around and looked at Jessica one
last time.

"Take care of yourself." Nick said to her, his eyes
filling with tears. "Take care of our baby girl and
I'll be back soon."

"I will." She sniffed. "And please, get the answers
that you need, so you can come back to our family and
we can get on with our lives."

"I'm sure I'll get my answers, babe." Nick said,
sadly. "But, I can't promise that those answers will
be what you want them to be. I don't even know
myself."

Jessica's face contorted in pain. She knew that there
was a good chance that she was about to lose
everything and she wasn't sure if things would ever be
the same again for her and Nick.

"Goodbye, Jessica." Nick said, as he picked up his
suitcase and walked out of the room.

Jessica collapsed onto the bed and started sobbing
profusely.

"No!" She cried out. "No, Nick, don't leave me. Don't
leave our family!"

As Jessica sat there, sobbing, a strange feeling came
over her.

*******************************************************
DOWNSTAIRS..................

Nick walked into the living room and came face to face
with Justin, Kandi, Jeff, and Danny. Kandi was
standing over by the playpen, playing with Nicole, who
was up and in an energetic  mood.

"Nick, are you alright?" Jeff asked, as he walked over
to Nick and gave him a hug.

"No, Jeff, I'm not." Nick said, as he accepted Jeff's
hug. "How would you feel if you had a brother who
could do something so cruel and deceitful to you?"

"I can't really answer that, buddy." Jeff said, as he
and Nick pulled back from each other. "I've never had
anything like what you're going through, happen to
me."

Nick nodded, sadly.

"I hope that none of you guys ever have to go through
this." Nick said to Jeff. "I hope you never have to go
through this kind of betrayal. You have no idea how
much it hurts."

Danny stood up and walked over to where Jeff and Nick
were standing. He looked at Nick, feeling sympathetic
towards him.

"Is that why you're leaving?" He asked, sadly.

"Yes, Danny." Nick nodded. "I'm going to see Sean and
talk with him. Then, once I get my answers and do some
soul searching, I'll be home in a few days."

Justin and Kandi then came over to give Nick their
support as well.

"Nick, I wish you didn't have to go." Justin said to
him. "This little girl needs her Daddy."

Nick's eyes fell on Nicole, who was nestled in Kandi's
arms. His heart broke at that moment because he had to
say goodbye again.

"Give her to me, please?" He asked, Kandi, holding out
his arms.

"Here you go, baby." Kandi said, sweetly, to Nicole as
she handed her over to Nick. "Here's your daddy."

Nick cradled the adorable little toddler in his arms
and held her close.

"Hey, my little princess." He cooed to her, as he
bobbed her up and down gently, while giving her one of
his infectious smiles.

"I have to go away for awhile." He said to her. "While
I'm gone, I want you to take care of your Mommy for me
until I get back. Can you do that for me? Huh, baby?"

Nicole couldn't really understand what he was saying,
as she looked around the room at everyone standing
nearby, and at different things around the room.

Nick's eyes filled with tears as he hugged his little
girl close, his emotions starting to get the better of
him.

"I love you more than words can ever describe, little
one." Nick said, as he struggled to control his
emotions. "I hope you always remember that."

He kissed her on the cheek, as he handed her back to
Kandi. Nicole started to fuss a little, which made
Nick feel guilty because he was leaving.

"I'll call you guys when I get into Orlando to let you
know that I'm alright and had a safe flight." He said,
as he picked up his suitcase. "If you need to get
ahold of me, only call if it is a family emergency. I
will have my cellphone on, day and night. If I don't
answer it, leave a message. If I feel it's important,
I'll call back, ok?"

"Alright." Kandi said, giving him a quick hug goodbye.
Danny and Justin did the same.

After everyone bid him goodbye, Nick left the house
and walked to his car, which he unlocked and set his
things inside, and then got in.

He started the car and put on his seatbelt. After
that, he took one last look at the house, before he
drove off for the airport.

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

Back, inside the house, Kandi was changing Nicole's
diaper, since Jessica still hadn't come back
downstairs yet. Danny and Jeff were in the kitchen.
and Justin went to take a shower.

"Man, I still can't believe that Nick had to leave
again." Jeff said, as he held Danny close. "He's only
been back for a day and a half and now look what
happens. Drew betrays him, with this huge secret, and
now he's taking off again."

"But, this time, I don't think Nick is running from
anything." Danny replied. "I think he is searching for
answers this time. It's not the same as it was before.
At least this time, we all know where he will be."

"Yeah, you're right." Jeff said. "It's not like before
when we didn't know where Nick was or when he was
coming back."

Kandi entered the kitchen at that moment, with the
baby in her hands.

"Could you two keep Nicole occupied for awhile?" She
asked the two of them. "I'm going to go upstairs and
see if Jessica is ok."

"Sure, Kandi." Jeff said, as she handed him the baby.

Jeff took her and he and Danny walked back into the
living room to sit down on the couch with her for a
while.

Kandi walked upstairs and came to the doorway to Nick
and Jessica's room. Jessica wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Jessica?" Kandi called out. "Are you in here?"

At that moment, the bathroom door opened and Jessica
came out. She didn't look good.

"Honey, are you alright?" Kandi asked her.

Jessica looked up at Kandi. Once she saw Kandi's
concerned look, she shook her head and burst into
tears.

"No, I'm not, Kandi." She wailed, just as Kandi went
over to her and hugged her. "I feel like I've lost
everything."

"You haven't." Kandi said, patting Jessica's back
gently, comforting her. "Nick's not going to be gone
long. Just a few days. He'll be back."

"Yeah, he'll be back, alright." Jessica sobbed. "He'll
be back just in time to find out that he might be
becoming a daddy again."

Kandi pulled back, shocked at what Jessica had just
said, her eyes wide.

"Jessica, are you saying," She trailed off.

Jessica looked up at her, as she wiped her tears away,
and smiled.

"I may be pregnant." She said.

*******************************************************
BACK IN ORLANDO, LATER THAT EVENING...........

Jake and I entered my apartment, both of our hands
full with shopping bags.

"Boy, I never thought we'd be that long in the
supermarket." I said, as I set down some bags onto the
kitchen table. As I did, I looked at the time and
realized that it was almost 7:00 in the evening. I
wondered when Nick's flight would be landing.

Jake sat the rest of the shopping bags down onto the
table and then started helping me unpack the groceries
to put them away.

"Sean?" I heard Jake's voice ask. I turned around and
looked at him.

"What, buddy?" I asked him, curiously, wondering what
he had on his mind.

"What are you going to do when Nick arrives, tonight?"
He asked me. "Have you thought about that?"

I nodded. I knew exactly what I was going to do. I had
been able to do alot of thinking while I was in the
supermarket earlier, and I came to a decision that was
best for everyone involved in this whole mess.

"Yes, I have." I told Jake, as I started getting out
the utensils I needed to start dinner. "I'm going to
just go with the flow and listen to what Nick has to
say, before I tell him what I've decided."

"Fair enough." Jake said, nodding, then he asked.
"Will I get to meet him tonight?"

"Sure." I said. "As far as I know, he's headed
straight here from the airport. Although, I have no
idea how long he's going to be staying in Orlando."

"Don't you think you should call him and find out?" He
asked, as he put away the rest of the groceries.

At that same moment, my house phone started ringing.
Jake, who was nearest to it picked it up and answered
it.

"Hello?" He said, into the receiver. Then a moment
later, he held the phone out to me.

"It's Nick." He said. "He wants to talk to you."

I took the cordless phone from Jake and put it to my
ear.

"Hey, Nick." I greeted him. "Where are you?"

"I'm in Orlando right now." Nick said. "I just pulled
out of the airport terminal a little while ago. I'll
be at your apartment in about fifteen minutes."

"Cool." I said. "You'll be just in time to help me
with dinner. I just got back from the supermarket a
few minutes ago."

"What are we having?" Nick asked, sounding interested.
"I hope it's something good. I'm starving."

Luckily for Nick, I happened to be cooking one of his
favorite foods this evening.

"Is steak good enough for you?" I asked, with a grin.

"Hell yeah!" I heard him crow. "Let me at it! Let me
at it!"

I laughed at his hungry impression. But of course, I
still had to tell him that it wasn't prepared yet.

"Well, Nick, it's not going to be ready when you walk
in the door just yet." I told him. "We still have yet
to cook it and I thought that maybe you'd like to do
the honors tonight."

"You mean cook the steaks for you?" Nick asked, in
surprise. "Do you really want me to?"

"Yeah, Nick." I said. "We both know that you're one
hell of a cook."

I grinned, as I thought of a funny scenario.

"Well then, Chef Lachey, just don't forget to remind
me to get out the apron and chef hat for you."

"Oh, no!" Nick laughed. "There's no way I'm going to
be caught dead wearing a chef uniform."

"Nicholas, come on." I giggled. "I think you'd look
hot in a chef uniform."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever." Nick laughed. "And
thanks for the compliments. I have to hang up now,
since I'm driving. I'll be at your place in about ten
minutes."

"Alright, Nick." I said. "Jake and I will be waiting
here for you."

"Ok." Nick said. "Goodbye."

I hung up the phone and set it back on the console. I
then turned to Jake.

"He'll be here in about 10 minutes." I said. "Are you
ready to meet him?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Jake said, nodding. Then
he looked around. "While we're wating, let's set the
table and get the salad made so we can have something
to munch on, until dinner is ready."

"Good idea." I said, rubbing my stomach. I'm
famished."

Jake grabbed a head of lettuce and started chopping it
up, while I grabbed the shredded cheese, the salad
dressings, and the rest of the vegtables and sat them
on the counter.

I started helping Jake make the salad, when there was
a knock on the door. I turned and frowned at Jake.

"I just got off the phone with him." I said, confused.
"There's no way Nick could have gotten here that
quickly."

I walked over to answer the door. When I opened it, I
came face to face with Michelle, who was standing
there.

"Hey, Michelle." I greeted her, smiling. "I thought
you were Nick."

That raised her eyebrows. She looked like she was
about to hyperventilate.

"You mean Nick Lachey is coming tonight?" She asked,
her eyes wide in shock. I grinned.

"Yep." I said. "Just make sure you don't drop dead
from lack of oxygen when he gets here. Your fiance
here wouldn't enjoy that."

"Shut up, asshole." She said, blushing furiously, in
embarrassment. I stepped aside to let her in.

"Jake and I are preparing salad until we get dinner
made." I told her, then asked, politely. "Would you
care to join us?"

Michelle smiled, as the color returned to her face. "I
would love to."

She walked over to Jake and gave him a kiss as she got
beside him and started helping him with the salad.

"Hey, baby." She said, as she grabbed a knife and
started dicing onions. "Did you get everything we
needed from the supermarket."

"Yes, babe." Jake told her, as he finished slicing the
lettuce. "It's already stocked in the fridge at home."

"Good." Michelle said. "I wasn't looking forward to
cooking tonight."

I chose that moment to join them in the kitchen.

"Well, neither are we, girl." I pointed out. She
frowned.

"Then, who is going to cook dinner?" She asked.

Before I could answer her, there was another knock on
the door.

"Well, it looks like our Chef has arrived." I said,
grinning as I walked over to the door and opened it,
revealing Nick, standing there with a smile on his
face.

"Hey, handsome." I said, ushering him in. "You ready
for some salad?"

"Sure." Nick said, as he came in. When he did, he saw
Jake and Michelle nearby, in the kitchen.

"Jake, Michelle, come here for a moment." I called out
to them.

They came out and stood in front of Nick and I. I
introduced them.

Nick, this is my friend, Jake." I said, introducing
Jake first. Nick and Jake shook hands and exchanged
pleasantries. Then I came to Michelle.

"And this is Michelle, his fiance." I said to him,
then looked back at Michelle.

"Michelle, this is Nick Lachey." I said to her, as
Nick held out his hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Michelle." Nick said, as he
shook her hand, while flashing her his killer smile.

Michelle looked like she was ready to faint when Nick
smiled at her. I waved my hand in front of her eyes,
to snap her out of her starstruck look.

"Sorry." Michelle apologized, while blushing crimson.
"I didn't mean to stare. I've just never seen you, in
the flesh, before."

"It's alright." Nick laughed. "I'm used to it by now."

I couldn't resist teasing both Michelle and Nick with
my next remark.

"You should see him, without the shirt." I added, with
a shit-eating grin on my face.

Jake's jaw dropped in shock, Michelle blushed, and I
earned a cuff in the back from Nick, which made me
laugh, silently to myself.

"As usual, Mr. smartass here, doesn't know what he's
talking about." Nick said, glaring at me, in
embarassment.

"Oh, god!" Jake said, sarcastically. "Now, we have two
of them."

Michelle held up her hand and she and Nick slapped
high five.

"It looks like you and I are going to get along just
fine." She said, grinning.

"You bet." Nick said to her. Then he looked back at
me.

There was a glint in his eye, which made me wonder
what he was up to.

"I'll tell you anything you want to know about Sean."
Nick said, grinning like a chesire cat. "That includes
his most embarassing stories."

My mouth dropped open in shock and I looked over at
Nick, quickly.

"Nicholas Scott Lachey, you wouldn't dare!" I warned
him, with an arched eyebrow. Nick just laughed.

"Gotcha." He said, as he ruffled up my hair.

"Hey!" I laughed. "You're messing up my hair."

Jake and Michelle laughed as Nick grabbed me into a
headlock and continued to mess it up even more. When
Nick was satisfied, he let go of me, as I stood up,
trying to fix my entangled hair.

"Well, Nick, now that you're here, let's get dinner
going." Jake said, then turned to Michelle.

"Baby, you take Raggedy-Andy over there and go relax
in the living room, while Nick and I get accquainted."

I gave Jake a dirty look, trying my best to look
seriously insulted. But my smile gave way.

"Oh, that's funny, bitch." I said, sarcastically.
"Real funny."

Michelle grabbed my arm, laughing and pulled me into
the living room, while Jake and Nick went into the
kitchen to cook the steaks and to serve the salad.

Michelle took a seat on the couch and I walked over to
the mirror to see Nick's handywork from his assault on
my hair. I took a moment to get it under control.

"You and Nick seem like you're really close." Michelle
said, as I sat down and took a seat next to her.

"Well, not like we used to be, but we're still good
friends." I told her, which was the truth.

"What do you mean by that?" Michelle asked me, looking
back towards the kitchen. I turned to see what she was
looking at and saw Nick and Jake, putting the steaks
in the frying pan. They were making conversation and
both of them were laughing about something.

"Who wouldn't want to be Nick's friend?" Michelle
asked, in a low voice. "He's so sexy, and such a
gentleman, too."

I watched Nick, as he and Jake were moving around the
kitchen. I heard something fall and then saw Nick bend
over to pick it up.

"Great ass, too." I said, as I stared at his ass. I
turned and looked at Michelle.

She was laughing so hard, she had tears in her eyes. I
then realized that I'd actually said that outloud. I
must have blushed six shades of red at that moment.

"You've really got it bad for him, don't you?" She
asked me, in between her laughter.

I was not expecting that and it caught me off guard. I
suddenly felt sick. I looked up at Michelle.

"Excuse me, I think I need some air." I said, quickly
getting up and running to the door and heading
outside.

I ran down into the sand and stood near the water, as
darkness started to descend upon the sky. I stood in
my usual spot and tried to keep from crying. I guess
my plan didn't work out as well as I thought.

I felt someone's hands on my shoulders, massaging them
gently. I didn't even need to know who it was. There
was only one person who would offer comfort like that.

"Are you ok?" I heard Nick ask me. I turned around and
looked at him. His hands left my shoulders when I did.

"Yeah, Nick, I'm fine." I said, as I wiped at my eyes.
Nick didn't look convinced.

"You don't look fine." Nick said, looking at me,
closely. "Is something bothering you?"

For a split second there, I wanted to tell him
everything. About how much I missed him and how much I
still loved him. But I didn't.

"I just felt sick all of a sudden and I just wanted to
get some air." I told him. I'm fine now."

I then looked back at the house and saw Michelle
standing there, in the doorway.

"Shall we go back in, now?" I asked, gesturing to the
house.

"Sure." Nick said, and turned to head towards the
house. I grabbed his arm at that moment.

"Hey." I said, as he turned around. "First, I want to
give you something before we go back in."

"What's that?" Nick asked, with raised eybrows.

I stood there a moment, wondering if I should do it,
but in the end, my desire won over and I pulled him
close and wrapped my arms around him. I hugged him
tightly.

I felt his arms go around me, and breathed a content
sigh. I always felt better when I was in his strong
arms. Even if he was just my friend.

*******************************************************
BACK IN LOS ANGELES.............

Drew was in his car, driving down the streets of
Beverly Hills. He was obviously very upset, for he was
crying.

"I really fucked up this time." He said to himself.
"And now I've lost my brother forever."

He wiped at his eyes and continued.

"There were alot of tough times in our lives. Nick and
I always had our disagreements and brotherly quarrels,
but in the end, we always knew we would be there for
each other, no matter what. There were times when Nick
and I didn't think we'd make it, as a family, but we
did........"

Drew choked up, unable to go on. He stopped at a
traffic light, which had turned red.

"I don't think we're gonna make it this time." He
sobbed. "We're not a family anymore."

The light turned green and Drew started driving again.
He was almost at his parents' house. But then, he got
a very disturbing look on his face.

"I'm sorry, Nick." He said, quietly. "Someday, you
will know just how sorry I am for everything."

Drew looked down, at the letter he had written to his
parents and decided that he'd just swing by and put it
in their mailbox.

He drove down his parents' street and up to the
driveway to the mailbox. His parents weren't home yet.
Both cars were gone.

Drew slid the letter into the mailbox, with the rest
of the mail and drove off again.

"I'm sorry, Mom and Dad." He said, outloud. "I can't
face you right now. Maybe, when I come back, we can
work this out. But not right now."

As Drew drove, he looked around the city, wondering
when he would ever see it again.


"Goodbye, Everyone." Drew whispered.




To Be Continued........?

That's all for this one. Stay tuned for more coming
soon.

"Why is Drew leaving? Has he hit rock bottom? How will
his parents react when they find out he's left town?"

"Is Jessica pregnant? If she is, was it accidental or
deliberate?

"How will Sean feel when he finds out about Drew?"


"What happens next? Oh, if you only knew!"

Stay tuned.

slpwriter@yahoo.com