Date: Fri, 31 Dec 2004 19:01:24 -0800 (PST)
From: slpwriter <slpwriter@yahoo.com>
Subject: Nick Lachey: My Everything-77

MERRY CHRISTMAS, 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.

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


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

Enjoy.


Previously on "My Everything".....


Just then, there was a knock on the door. Then it
opened, slowly and Nick peeked his head in.

"Can I come in?" He asked. "I heard voices up here
when I came back inside and wondered what was going
on."

"Come on in, Nick." Justin said.

Nick walked into the room and closed the door behind
him.

"Where's Jessica, man?" Jeff asked him. "I heard what
happened earlier between the two of you."

Nick shrugged it off.

"She went to pick up our daughter from Tina and
Joe's." Nick said. "So, what did I miss here?"

Justin then proceeded to fill him in.

 "We were all just trying to figure out a solution for
Kandi's and my living arrangements and so far we've
come up with a temporary solution." Justin told him.
"And that is to fly in to Orlando and spend Christmas
with Sean and his friends."

Nick brightened when he heard that they had decided to
do the same thing that he suggested earlier.

"So, you guys wouldn't mind, flying to Orlando with me
to see Sean for the holidays?" He asked them.

"Not at all." Danny told him. "We all love Sean, you
included, so I think that we should do it."

"Cool." Nick said. "So, it's settled then. We're
leaving for Orlando ASAP."

"Yes, Nick." Kandi said to him. "And if we use the
private jet you guys used when you were 98 Degrees, we
should get there by Christmas morning."

Nick gave Kandi a thumbs up.

"Good thinking, Kandi." He said. "I'll take care of
this right now."

Nick walked over and picked up the phone, that was
sitting on the bedside table. He dialed a number and
waited for a response.

"Robert, gas up the jet and get it ready for
flight....Orlando, Florida.....Thanks man. You're the
best. We'll be there in two hours." Ok, bye."

Nick hung up the phone and turned towards everyone.

"Everything is taken care of." Nick said to everyone
in the room. "Let's get our shit packed and on that
plane. As for sleep, we can sleep on the plane during
flight. We should be there by Christmas morning."

Kandi and Justin continued their packing, while Nick,
Jeff and Danny went to their rooms to pack also.

*******************************************************
BACK IN ORLANDO, AT THE BEACH APARTMENT.......

Now in my bedroom, Jason put me down and turned me to
face him. At the same time, he reached over and put
his hands under my shirt and pulled it up over my
head. Then he took off my pants, leaving me standing
naked, in front of him. He looked me up and down,
admiring my body.

"You're beautiful." I heard him whisper, obviously
liking what he saw.

I then pulled his shirt up over his head and removed
his jeans as well. When he was down to his underwear,
I saw that he was wearing a string bikini and he
looked good in it. I also got to see just how built he
really was. And he was beautiful in every sense of the
word.

"So are you." I whispered back to him. "I'm ready
whenever you are."

"Well, in that case....." Jason said, and pulled me
close to him again as he started kissing me again.

I ran my hands up and down his muscular arms, feeling
every curve and every shape of his muscles and arms,
as well as his soft, golden skin. It was also very
obvious that he works on his tan too, for his skin was
a lovely golden color.

I then jumped up on Jason and wrapped my legs around
his waist, as I kissed him some more. he then carried
me towards the bed and we both dropped down on it,
with him on top of me.

"I'm glad I'm with you, Jase." I whispered to him. He
smiled.

"Me too." he whispered back. "Merry Christmas, Sean."

"Merry Christmas, Jason." I said back.

Jason then leaned into me and started kissing me once
again, as he prepared to give me a night I would never
forget.


***********
CHAPTER 77
***********

CHRISTMAS DAY, IN ORLANDO...........

I awoke, to the sun shining on a beautiful day:
Christmas morning. This Christmas was going to be
different from any other Christmas that I've had.
Especially since I was living in Florida, which is
warm all year round and it didn't snow here.

I turned and looked at Jason's sleeping form, lying
next to me, in bed. He was still naked after what
happened between  us last night.

Last night had been incredible. I hadn't had good sex
like that in a while. With the exception of Drew, Ben
and Matt of course. But it was different with Jason.
And it wasn't just because he was a muscle stud. Drew,
Matt, Ben, and even Nick, were all muscular. Then, it
hit me.

The reason it was different with Jason was because
there was nothing to hide. I realized that with Jason,
I could be myself and not have to hide anything, as
compared to the 'celebrity' lifestyle where I had to
sneak around all the time and limit my public displays
of affection to just time alone, in private.

I reached over and started running my hands along
Jason's chest, feeling his toned pecs. He was
beautiful in every way. But, no matter how beautiful
he was, I still wasn't sure what was going to happen
with us. Would we become more than friends and lovers?
Would he be my next boyfriend in a relationship?

My thoughts were interrupted by Jason, who had woken
up and placed his hand on mine, which as still resting
on his pecs.

"Good morning, handsome." He said, in a sexy morning
voice. "And Merry Christmas."

I smiled down at him. He had one hell of a sexy
morning voice when he spoke. But then again, almost
all men sounded sexy when they first woke up. That is,
unless you get the grouchy types who don't like to be
awakened too early in the morning.

"Merry Christmas, Jason." I said back to him. "And
thank you so much for last night."

Jason smiled and then pulled me in and gave me a quick
kiss on the lips. I took a moment to enjoy it and
returned his kiss. Then, he pulled back and looked at
me.

"No problem." Jason said, in a low voice. "I wasn't
expecting things to go as far as they did last night."

"Neither was I." I said, with truth to my words. "But
still, it was incredible. Words can't describe what it
felt like to be held in a man's arms again."

Jason laid a hand on my cheek and stroked it with his
thumb, as he gazed at me, his blue eyes full of
wonder.

"I'm glad you were willing to share that kind of
closeness with me." Jason replied, then added. "Do you
have any regrets?"

I frowned as I thought it over. "Did I have any
regrets?" Yes.

I regretted that I hadn't met him sooner, or at least
taken him up on his offer to get to know me better
back when he'd offered. He seemed like a really sweet
guy, and he was hot as hell too.

"But did I have any regrets about having sex with him
last night?" Hell no. Not one.

"No, I don't." I told him. "I enjoyed last night.
There's nothing wrong with enjoying kinky, hot,
setting off car alarm, sex with a hot, sexy, muscle
stud. Is there?"

After I finished saying all of that, Jason started
laughing.

"No, I guess there isn't." He chuckled. "And thanks
for the compliments. You're really good for my ego."

"Hey, I only speak the truth, Jason." I said to him,
grinning from ear to ear. "You really are one of the
sexiest men I ever met."

Jason stared into my eyes for a second. I stared right
back at him, wondering what that was all about. then I
saw him grin.

"What's going on in the sexy head of yours, Jason?" I
asked him. "Or do I even have to ask?"

Jason shook his head. I knew what he was referring to.
He was in the mood to go another round with me.

"Are you up to another round of sex?" Jason asked me,
while grinning from ear to ear.

"Hell, yeah." I crowed. "Let's get cracking, boy!"

I slapped his fine, muscular, ass in response to my
previous statement. Jason arched an eyebrow as he
grinning.

"Hmm, into spanking, I see?" He said, with a grin.
"This should be interesting."

I laughed as he pushed me back on the bed, and started
kissing my neck, and getting me incredibly turned on,
as he shifted his body so that he was on top of me.
Then, he started grinding his hardness into mine.

Feeling his hardness against mine, was amazing and it
felt so good. I ran my hand along his arms, feeling
the definition in his triceps and biceps. I was
getting more horny by the minute as he continued to
kiss me and play with my body.

His hands moved down to my penis, and he gripped it
into his hand and started to gently stoke it.

"Oh god, Jason." I groaned, my voice full of lust.
"Don't stop."

Before things could go any further, I heard a knocking
sound coming from in the living room.

"Jason, stop. I said, stopping our make out session.
He lifted his head and looked at me.

"What is it?" he asked me. I looked up at him.

"Did you hear that knocking sound just now?" I asked
him. Jason lifted his head and we both were silent for
a moment, both of us listening to see if we both heard
it.

A few seconds later, we heard it again. Then, I knew
that it was someone knocking on the door.

"I have to get that." I said, getting up and grabbing
for my underwear, that was on the floor beside the
bed. "Put your clothes on so we don't traumatize
whoever it is if they were to see you naked."

"You know, that's not a bad idea." Jason said,
grinning. "Maybe if I walk out there, naked, maybe
they'll go away."

"Ha." I said, with a sarcastic laugh. "Or maybe
they'll throw themselves down at your feet and want to
worship your...well you know what I mean."

Jason's expression took on a mixture of surprise and
shock. He wasn't expecting me to go there.

"You have a really dirty mind, you know that?" He
said, smiling widely. "I always thought you were so
reserved."

"Yeah, right." I said, as I pulled on my pants. "Stay
here, while I go and get the door."

"Ok." Jason said. "I'll be out in a minute."

I walked out of my room and headed for the living
room. On the way, I heard the doorbell ring this time.

"I'm coming!" I called out. "Hold on!"

I got to the door and opened it to see who was on my
doorstep at 10:00 in the morning. When I saw who it
was, a smile crossed my lips.

Jake and Michelle were standing on my doorstep, each
of them holding something containing food in it. They
had obviously brought food over to celebrate Christmas
day with me. Or so I hoped.

"Hi, you two." I said, giving them both a smile.
"Merry Christmas."

They both were smiling at me, which was a good sign
that maybe they had gotten over what I'd said to them
the other night.

"Come on in." I said, stepping aside and allowing them
to enter the room. I shut the door and turned around
to face them.


"First off, guys, I want to apologize to you both for
what I said the other day when Nick was here." I said
to them. "I didn't mean to say that Nick had been
there for me when the two of you weren't. That's not
true. You both have been my rock through the tough
times that I went through since I moved here."

"Don't worry about that, Sean." Jake said, as he
glanced at Michelle. "We forgive you."

I breathed a sigh of relief. It was great to know that
Jake and Michelle had both been able to forgive that
easily.

"Thanks, Jake." I said, as I extended my hand to him
and we shook on it. "I wanted to start this Christmas
off right and it wouldn't have been if I didn't
apologize first."

Jake nodded, in understanding. Then Michelle spoke.

"We know that you didn't mean to hurt us." Michelle
said. "Come on, even best friends have fights. Jake
and I have fought more times than I can count. But
we've always worked through it and made up."

"I'm glad you both feel that way." I said. Then I
looked at the containers of food that they both had in
their hands.

"Why don't the two of you take those containers of
food into the kitchen and put them on the table." I
asked them, giving them a reason to get them out of
their hands.

"While you both are doing that, I have to go back to
my room and get a shirt put on, so I'll be right
back."

I chose that moment to head back to my room, so I
could let Jason know who was here and to make sure
that he wasn't caught in an uncomfortable situation.

I entered the bedroom and saw that he was fully
dressed again, and was sitting on the bed, waiting for
me.

"It's Jake and Michelle, my friends." I told him.
"Would you like to come and meet them?"

Sure." He said, standing up. "It'd be my pleasure."

"Ok, come on." I said, as I turned to head back into
the kitchen. Jason was right behind me.

When Jason and I got to the living room, we both
noticed that Jake and Michelle had  made themselves
comfortable on my sofa, and had turned on the
television to watch together.

"There's someone here, I want the two of you to meet."
I said to them.

They both turned to look at me and the both of them
saw Jason standing next to me. They both got up and
came over to stand in front of us. I then took the
moment to introduce everyone.

"Jake, this is Jason Madison." I said to Jake, as I
gestured towards Jason, with my hand. "Jason, this is
my best friend, Jake Roberts."

Jason and Jake both shook hands.

"It's great to meet you, Jake." Jason said. "Merry
Christmas to you."

"Merry Christmas to you too, Jason." Jake said. "It's
great to meet you as well."

After shaking Jason's hand, Jake turned to introduce
Michelle and Jason.

"Jason, this is my fiance, Michelle." Jake said, as he
put his arm around Michelle. "Michelle, Jason."

Michelle looked like she couldn't stop staring at
Jason. I didn't blame her. Jason was definitely easy
on the eyes.

"It's nice to meet you, Jason." Michelle said,
extending out her hand for Jason to shake.

Instead of shaking her hand, Jason took it and held it
up to his lips.

"You too, Michelle." He said, kissing her hand. "And
congratulations to both of you on your engagement."

"Thank you." Jake said. "We're both very happy."

Jason smiled at them.

"It shows." He said. "You both are very lucky to have
found love.

After saying that, Jason, Jake, and Michelle were all
silent for a moment. Then, I decided to get their
attention.

"Hey guys, would you all mind giving me a hand with
getting Christmas dinner started?" I asked everyone.
"We have alot of work to do."

"No problem." Michelle said. "Cooking is what Jake
does and I love to do it, so what can we help with?"

I then thought over everything that needed done and
proceeded to tell Michelle everything.

"First, we need to make sure we have all the proper
supplies that we need to make all of our favorites for
dinner. And then, we'll need baking supplies for the
Christmas cookies, and all of the sweets that we will
be making. So, if you and Jake will do the honors and
make sure I have everything I need in the pantry to
prepare all this good food and stuff."

"Alright, Jake, you heard him." Michelle said to him.
"Let's get things started in the kitchen."

"I'm right behind you, Babe." Jake said, as he
followed Michelle into the kitchen. I turned around
and faced Jason and noticed that he seemed like he was
feeling a little left out.

"What can I do?" Jason asked me.

I then thought about that. Of course, we could just
sit down on the couch and relax while Michelle and
Jake did the cooking, but not this time. This time,
everyone was going to pitch in this year. But then, I
realized that there was something that I hadn't done.

"I think you and I should put up the Christmas tree."
I said. "I never got around to doing it with all the
shit that's been going on in my life lately."

Jason smiled at me.

"It would be my pleasure to help you put up the
Christmas tree." He said. "Did you by any chance get
your Christmas presents wrapped?"

"Yes." I said, smiling. "I had everything "gift
wrapped" and "tagged" while I was at the mall last
night. I'm not very good at wrapping Christmas
presents myself."

"Ah, so you got everything done the easy way, huh?"
Jason laughed. "Having someone else do the hard work
for you, huh?"

The way he was being a smart-ass about it, made me
smile. I punched him in the arm, but not real hard.

"Listen, smart-ass, not everyone has talent for gift
wrapping." I said, trying to mock hurt, but failed
miserably. "I'm just not a gift wrap person."

"I'm just teasing." Jason said, pulling me into his
arms for a hug. "I don't care that you can't wrap
presents. That's not why I like you."

"Really?" I asked him, looking up into his eyes. "Why
do you like me?"

Jason leaned in and kissed me, on the lips. I was
surprised that he was willing to do that in public.
Especially because he didn't know how Jake and
Michelle would feel about that.

"I like you because you've got a great personality and
you're great to be around." He then, then added. "And
because you're so damn sexy."

I blushed when Jason said that. I loved it, but still
I didn't see myself that way.

"Stop, you're embarrassing me." I whispered, laughing.
"I'm not that hot."

"Yes, you are." Jason said. "You don't give yourself
enough credit for how good looking you are."

I looked at Jason and I melted. He was just full of
compliments today. Not that I should have been
surprised. After all, it was Christmas.

"Thanks." I said. "Now, let's get started with things.
You go and get the tree out of the other closet in the
hallway and I will tell Michelle and Jake what to
prepare for dinner."

"Ok, I can do that." Jason said. "Let's get this
Christmas rolling."

So, Jason went to get the Christmas tree, while I
walked to the kitchen to tell Michelle and Jake what I
wanted for dinner.

"Hey, you two." I said. "I wanted to tell you both
what I think we should have for dinner and that way
you can see what all we have to prepare everything
with."

"Sure." Michelle said. "Go ahead."

"I'd like us to have mashed potatoes and gravy with
roast beef, green bean casserole, macaroni and cheese
casserole, bread rolls, corn pudding, the works.
Everything that we had last year." I told her."

"Ok." Michelle said. "Sounds good. Jake and I will
check the pantry and refrigerater to see if we have
everything we need. If not, you'll have to go to the
grocery store and buy what we need."

"Ok." I said. "Just give me a holler if you need
anything. I'm going to go and help Jason put up the
Christmas tree. I didn't get to do it last night
because I went out Christmas shopping last minute and
I was tired."

"Alright." Michelle said. "Do what you have to do and
I'll let you know if I need anything."

"That works for me." I said, and turned away to head
back into the living room to see how Jason was getting
along with the tree.

I found him, standing in the right corner of the
living room where the tree was supposed to stand and
he had just gotten done with setting up the tree
stand. Now, we had to put the branches together.

Jason and I set to work on the tree, while Michelle
and Jake moved around the kitchen, slicing vegetables,
and cheese, pepperoni, and anything else that could be
sat out on the table for appetizers to nibble on while
waiting for the food to be cooked and ready.

About 15 minutes into Jason and I, working on the
tree, I heard Michelle call out to me.

Sean, it looks like we have everything we need, so you
don't have to run out for anything!"

"Ok, Michelle!" I called back to her. "Thanks for
letting me know!"

Michelle started to get back to cooking, but then
remembered something.

"Sean, I'm also going to make deviled eggs to put on
the table for appetizers, will that be ok?" She asked
me.

"Yes, Michelle." I said to her. "That's a good idea.
Thanks."

"Ok." She said and went back to her cooking, while I
helped Jason finish putting the tree together.

It took about another 10 minutes, but we got it done.
Jason and I backed up and admired our work. Jason
turned to me.

"Does it look alright to you?" He asked. "No branches
crooked or out of place?"

I studied the tree, closely. There was nothing that
seemed out of place for me. The tree looked good to
go. Now all we needed to do was decorate it with
lights, ornaments, and garland.

"It looks great." I said. "Now, all we need to do is
start decorating it."

I then looked around the room.

"Where are the Christmas lights?" I asked Jason. "Did
you get them out of the closet?"

"Yes." Jason said, pointing to them. "They're right
over there, on the left end of the couch."

I went over and got the box of Christmas lights and
brought them over to the tree. I set it down on the
floor and started opening it up to get everything out
of it.

"So, Jason, what time do you have to leave for Tampa
to go and see your family?"

Jason looked at his watch to see what time it was. I
knew he had to leave early today, but what time, I
didn't know.

"It's 11:20a.m. right now." Jason said, with a sigh.
"Let's get the tree finished. I have to leave by
12:00p.m."

"Jason, don't worry." I said to him. "Whatever we
can't finish, I'll finish by myself. Or Jake and
Michelle can give me a hand if I need it. If you have
to go when the time comes, just go. I don't want you
to be late for your own family's Christmas."

Jason nodded.

"Alright." He said to me. "But I'm pretty sure that we
will get done before it's time for me to leave, so
let's get finished up here."

Jason and I both set to work, on detangling the
Christmas lights, as well as plugging them in to make
sure everything worked, and whatever ones didn't we
put replacement bulbs in for. After that was done,
Jason and I set about putting the lights on the tree.

About halfway through that, Michelle came into the
living room, with two glasses of eggnog for us. She
handed, each of us, a glass.

"Here you are, guys." She said. "Fresh eggnog for the
two of you."

"Thanks, Michelle." Jason said. "That was very sweet
of you."

"No problem." She said, as she looked at the tree.
"The tree is starting to look beautiful."

"Yes, it is." Jason said. "Sean and I have to hurry
and finish it up before I leave to head down to Tampa
to celebrate Christmas with my family."

"Oh." Michelle said, looking disappointed. "You mean
you can't stay?"

Jason gave her a sad look. He didn't like
disappointing anyone, but he knew that me and my
friends would understand.

"Unfortunately, no." Jason said. "My family and I
celebrate Christmas together every year. It's a
tradition of ours. I've never missed a Christmas with
them, ever."

Then, Jason came up with a compromise.

"How about if I have time, I'll come back later
today?" He asked. "Although, I can't make any
promises, I will try. How's that?"

I smiled at him. I was glad that he was becoming my
friend. I was really starting to like him alot.

"That's good enough for me." I said, turning to
Michelle. "How about you, Michelle?"

"That's fine with me." she nodded. "But just in case
you can't make it, "Merry Christmas."

She then walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek,
lightly. Jason smiled, showing off his sexy dimples
and pearly whites.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Michelle." He said. "Sean
and I are going to finish the tree now."

"Alright." She said. "Jake's in the kitchen, helping
me with the deviled eggs and I'd better get back into
the kitchen to watch him, or he'll have them all eaten
before they're even set out on the table."

"That's Jake, alright." I said, grinning like a
Cheshire cat. "You can't trust him alone for 5 minutes
when it comes to preparing food."

"I heard that!" Jake's voice called out from the
kitchen. Michelle laughed.

"Well, I'm going to get back in there." She said.
"Jason, I will talk to you later."

"Ok, Michelle." He said, watching her walk off into
the kitchen.

"She's a really nice girl." Jason said, as we both
turned around to finish with the tree. "Jake's lucky
to have her."

"Yeah, Michelle's the best." I said, as I helped Jason
wrap the second set of lights around the tree.

While we did that, I frowned slightly. The way Jason
was talking about Michelle was starting to make me
wonder if he was bisexual. And if that was the case
and he liked Michelle, what did that mean? "Would he
try and steal her away from Jake?"

As sexy as Jason was, it wouldn't be that hard,
because Michelle really did like him. I had caught her
staring at Jason a few times when she thought nobody
was looking, and I could tell that she thought he was
beautiful.

But, one thing I did know was that Jake would not make
it easy for Jason, if that was the case. Jake was very
territorial of Michelle and he usually didn't care if
she talked with other guys, but if any of the guys did
anything with her that he didn't approve of, he let
them know it.

Jake was a fighter and doesn't give up easily. Jason
wouldn't be the first guy he'd have to chase away from
Michelle. He'd seen lots of guys, drool over her. She
was a part time model after all. Michelle was never an
issue for him. He trusted her. But it was other guys
that he didn't trust.

I then took that moment to ask Jason what I wanted to
ask him. I wanted to make sure that Jason wasn't that
kind of a guy. Because if he was, not only would Jake
have a problem with him, but so would I. I would
always have doubts wondering if he'd be faithful or
not.

"Jason, I want to ask you something?" I asked him, as
we were now putting garland around the tree. I saw
Jason turn and look at me.

"What, Sean?" He asked, curious.

I finished hanging my end of the garland and turned to
him.

"Are you gay or bi?" I asked him. I saw Jason frown.

"Why is that important?" He asked me, sounding like he
was bothered by the question.

"I'd just like to know." I said, lowly so Michelle and
Jake didn't hear me. "I saw the way you were looking
at Michelle earlier, and the way you were talking
about her just now. It makes me wonder about you."

Now, Jason was starting to become a little offended,
but he wasn't going to make a big scene about it.

"First of all, Sean, I don't consider myself gay or
bi." He said. "I'm more "open minded" than anything. I
just go with what feels right to me, at the time.
Sometimes it's with girls, and sometimes it's with
guys. And what is it that you wonder about me?"

"Well," I said. "I just met you and there's alot about
you that I still don't know yet. I don't know what
kind of guy you are yet. I have to wonder if you're
one of those guys who go after other's people's
partners for the thrill of the chase, or because it's
a forbidden thing. I need to be reassured that you're
not that kind of guy. I like you alot, but if you are
that kind of guy, a relationship between you and me
would never work. I'd be constantly questioning
whether or not I could trust you and I don't want to
do that in a relationship again. I want to know that I
can trust my mate fully before I get into a
relationship again. Does that make any sense?"

I looked into Jason's eyes and I saw that he was hurt,
but I could also see that he understood why I had to
ask him all these questions.

"Well, I can't say that I'm not hurt by the fact that
you think that I could be one of those home wrecker
types, but I can understand your concerns, anyway." He
said, lowly. "And I do assure you that I would never
try to come between Jake and Michelle. I don't take
any pleasure in ruining other people's happiness.
That's just not the kind of guy I am. As for  my
faithfulness, I don't cheat on anyone I see. When I'm
in a relationship, I'm faithful to that person."

Jason looked at his watch again and he saw that it was
now 11:50p.m. He had to get ready to leave.

"Well, it's time for me to leave." He said, still
sounding a little hurt."

I started to feel really guilty that I'd upset him
now. I should have just waited until after the
holidays to voice my concerns to him, instead of just
putting him on the spot, on today of all days.

"Jason, I'm sorry." I said. "Please, don't leave,
feeling this way. I was just concerned, that's all."

"I know." Jason said, as he pulled his keys out of his
pocket. "I do appreciate your honesty though. As hard
as it was to hear it. But we'll talk about that
another time."

Jason then started heading towards the door. But
before he did, he walked over to the kitchen to say
goodbye to Jake and Michelle.

"Goodbye, Jake." He said. "Goodbye, Michelle. Maybe
I'll see you both later."

Jake and Michelle, both, looked up from what they were
doing.

"Ok, man." Jake said to him. "We'll see you later."

"Alright, Jason." Michelle said. "Take care, ok?"

"I will." Jason said. "Merry Christmas."

Michelle and Jake both wished him a merry Christmas,
and Jason turned away and headed towards the door. I
followed him.

He opened the door and started to exit. When he was
outside the door, he turned around to face me.

"Have a Merry Christmas, Sean, and I'll see you later.
Maybe."

"Jason, please?" I begged him. "Will you forgive me? I
didn't mean to hurt your feelings?"

"I know you didn't." Jason said. "But, we can't talk
about it now. I have to go."

He pulled me close and gave me a brief hug. I hugged
him, really hard, letting him know just how sorry I
was.

"Will you come back later?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"I don't know." He said. "We'll see. Goodbye, Sean."

Then, he walked to his car and got in. He started it
up and pulled out of the parking lot and drove away.
As he left, he waved back to me.

I sighed heavily and shut the door behind me. I walked
back into the living room and went back to finish the
tree.

All that needed done was the ornaments now. I walked
over to the right side of the couch to get the
ornaments from off the couch. As I did, I saw Michelle
standing there.

"What happened with Jason?" She asked me. "He seemed
upset when he left. What did you say to him?"

Before I could answer her, the doorbell rang. Jason
must have left something behind.

"I'll tell you, later." I said. "Right now, let me go
and see what Jason wants. He must have forgotten
something."

I walked to the door and opened it. When I did, my jaw
dropped.

There were Jeff and Danny, Justin, and Kandi, standing
in the doorway, each of them holding a gift in their
hands, all of them smiling at me.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" They all said, in unison.

"I don't believe it!" I gasped out. "I must be
dreaming!"

"No, you're not dreaming, Sean." Danny laughed. "We're
really here."

Danny was the first to hug me.

"Merry Christmas, Sean." He said, and then he kissed
me, on the cheek.

"Merry Christmas, Danny." I said, as I hugged him
back.

I looked up at everyone else that was standing there
and then decided I'd better let them in before people
learned that 98* were here on my doorstep.

"Come on in, guys." I said, warmly. "Merry Christmas
to all of you!"

Everyone entered the house. Well, almost everyone. I
frowned, when I noticed that someone was missing.

"Hey, you guys, where's Nick?" I asked them.

I saw Danny, Jeff, Justin, and Kandi look amongst each
other, all of them had confusion in their eyes.

"We don't know." Jeff said to me. "Nick was gone from
the hotel when we left this morning to go Christmas
shopping to get you your gifts."

He gestured to the gifts that he and the others had in
their hands.

"Why don't you guys come over with me and put them
under the tree?" I asked them. "Then, after you do
that, you can come and meet Jake and Michelle."

Danny, Jeff, Justin, and Kandi all followed me over to
the Christmas tree, which wasn't totally done and I
started accepting their gifts from them to put under
the tree.

"It looks like you're not quite done putting up the
tree here." Jeff said, as I took his gift. "Would you
like some help?"

I smiled at him.

"That would be great, Jeff." I said, as I gave him his
hug and kiss. "You guys go ahead and dig in, while I
go and get the presents from my room to put under the
tree."

I gave Kandi and Justin their hugs before I went to my
room to get the presents I'd gotten them last night.

I went into my room and shut the door behind me. I saw
the bags of Christmas presents, sitting on the other
side of the bed, against the wall. Speaking of the
bed, I'd also noticed that it had been made. Obviously
by Jason.

"What a sweet, sweet man." I said, smiling as I leaned
down and picked up the bags of presents. "He didn't
have to do that."

With my bags in hand, I walked back out to the living
room and saw that Justin, Danny, and Jeff were
finishing decorating the Christmas tree, and talking
with Jake, while Kandi was talking up a storm with
Michelle and helping her in the kitchen.

"So, I see you guys wasted no time in getting
acquainted with my friend, Jake, here." I said, as I
threw an arm around Jake's shoulders. "It actually
saves me the trouble of having to do introductions."

I then glanced at Jake, wondering what had happened
that he wasn't in the kitchen anymore.

"So, Jake, how come you're not slaving away in my
kitchen, huh?" I asked, with a laugh. "Did Michelle
decide to trade you in for a new girlfriend?"

That statement caused Jeff, Justin, and Danny to burst
out laughing and Jake to give me a shocked look.

"Fuck you!" He said, with a grin, as he punched me, in
the arm. I could resist retaliating.

"I'd love for you to do that." I retaliated. "Are you
offering?"

The look on Jake's face was priceless. Michelle and
Kandi had come out at that moment and heard Jake say
"Fuck you." and what I'd just said now. By now, all of
them were laughing. Jake just held up his hands.

"Hell, no!" He said, moving past me. "These guys can
deal with your crazy self. I'm going back into the
kitchen."

"Yeah." I said, sarcastically. "To eat!"

"Damn right!" Jake said, grinning. "And those eggs are
first on my list!"

My smile left my face at that moment. Jake may have
been joking earlier, but not about the eggs. He liked
deviled eggs just as much as I did. So, I took that
seriously.

"Jake Roberts, you lay one finger on those eggs before
we all sit down to dinner and I will break your
fucking fingers!" I warned him.

Jake looked at me, shocked for a moment, then he
grinned.

"Gotcha." He said. Everyone else just laughed when
they realized that Jake had gotten me back.

"Ok, I guess you got me." I said, as he shook my hand,
both of us calling a truce. "Are you ready to finish
making dinner?"

Jake shrugged. But Michelle had other ideas.

"Actually, Baby, why don't you hang with the guys and
watch television for awhile?" She said. "Kandi and I
can take care of the food. Alright?"

"Cool." Jake said. "Thanks, Babe."

Michelle turned to Kandi.

"Come on, Kandi." She said. "Let's go and finish
getting dinner ready, while the guys get acquainted."

"Sure, Honey." Kandi said, as she followed Michelle
back into the kitchen.

I watched Jake walk over and sit down on the sofa,
next to Justin. Danny and Jeff took the love seat
across the room, by the Christmas tree, which had been
completely finished.

"You guys, did a great job with the tree." I said. "it
looks beautiful."

"Thanks, Sean." Jeff said, from beside Danny. "But we
really didn't do all that much."

"He's right, Sean." Jake said. "You and Jason deserve
most of the credit. The two of you put the tree up and
put the lights on it, yourselves."

"Who is Jason?" Justin wanted to know.

I looked down at Jake and noticed that he had a glint
in his eyes. He was up to something.

"Jake...." I warned him.

Jake just grinned and then told all to Justin, Jeff,
and Danny.

"Sean's new boyfriend." Jake said, in the best girly
voice that he could imitate.

"Jason is not my boyfriend." I said to the guys.
"Don't listen to this smart-ass."

I ruffled Jake's hair and messed it all up, as my way
of getting him back.

"Hey!" Jake said, ducking away from my hands. "Cut it
out!"

I laughed as I heard the doorbell ring again,
signaling that someone else had arrived.

"Excuse me." I said, as I walked to the door. I opened
it up to see who my next visitor was.

Nick, was standing on the other side of the door. He
smiled at me, showing off his beautiful teeth.

"Hi, Sean." he said. "Merry Christmas."

I didn't smile right away, as I remembered our last
conversation before I'd left Los Angeles.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Nick." I said, not
smiling. "I'm surprised that you actually came here. I
didn't think you would have wanted to see me again
after our last conversation."

"I know." Nick said, with a nod of his head. "And I do
want to apologize for that."

He then looked down at something.

"Starting with this." He said, holding his arms out to
me.

I looked down and noticed that Nick had a white box in
his hands, which he was holding out to me.

"Is that for me?" I asked him, wondering what was in
it. "Nick you really shouldn't have."

"I know." Nick said, with a smile. "But, I wanted to.
I wanted to get you something meaningful for
Christmas. So, here. Open it."

After stepping aside and letting Nick in, I accepted
the present and sat it down on a little table near the
hallway.

"Ok, here goes." I said, as I took the top off of the
box to see what was inside. I gasped when I saw what
Nick had gotten me.

"I had to apologize." Nick said to me. "The right
way."

Inside the box, was a bouquet of beautiful red roses.
I picked them up and admired them.

"Nick, they're beautiful!" I gushed, in a low voice,
as tears came to my eyes. "You really shouldn't have
done this."

"I know." Nick said. "I know that roses usually mean
"love" but nothing in the stores seemed right for me
to get you that were good enough to apologize for what
I said to you, in L.A. You deserved something more
meaningful than a shirt, or any other material thing.
You deserved these, so I got them for you."

I was speechless as I gazed up at Nick. I wanted so
badly just to tell him how I felt about him. That I
still loved him. What moment wouldn't have been more
perfect?"

But, still, I couldn't do it. Because I knew that Nick
only got me these roses as an apology to me for what
happened in L.A. It didn't change anything for the two
of us. We still couldn't go back to the way things
were, years ago.

But, whatever his reason had been, I was so touched
that he'd gotten me this beautiful bouquet of roses. I
couldn't think of a more meaningful present that I
could have gotten on a day like today.

"Thank you." I said, as I looked up at Nick. He
flashed me his killer smile.

"Merry Christmas, Sean." He said, as he reached out
and pulled me into his arms.

I wrapped my arms around him, careful not to damage
the bouquet of roses, and hugged him back, tightly.

"Merry Christmas, Nick."

I released Nick and then kissed him on the cheek, as I
wiped away my tears.

I'm sorry, I don't mean to get emotional." I said.
"But it's just that it's been a long time since I've
gotten anything more meaningful from you."

Nick smiled at me and then looked down at my hands
again.

"With the exception of this, I'm sure." He said, as he
took my right hand and raised it up so he could see it
better.

He, of course, was referring to my wedding band that
he had given me, years ago when we'd gotten engaged
and then married, which was still on my finger.

Nick looked up at me.

"I'm surprised you're still wearing this." He said,
studying it close. "I thought you would have gotten
rid of it by now."

I couldn't, Nick." I said to him. "For one thing,
because it cost you alot of money, and secondly
because I couldn't bring myself to take it off. It
represents so much."

I looked at Nick, in the eyes.

"It holds the greatest memory I've ever had of the
love you and I once shared." I said to him. "And even
though you and I don't share that love anymore, I'd
still like to keep this ring on my finger, if it's
alright with you."

Nick looked down at the ring, thinking it over for a
moment. Then, he looked back up at me.

"If it means that much to you, then you can keep it."
Nick said. "But I do have some concerns about it,
though."

I frowned, wondering what he was concerned about.

"What concerns are those?" I asked him.

"What about if you were to become involved with
someone else?" Nick asked  me. "If the next guy you
become involved with, see this, they might think that
you're still married and not want to be with you."

I then thought about Jason at that moment. I'm sure he
had seen my ring, but he hadn't said anything about
it. But I'm sure he'd want to know why I was wearing
it if my relationship with Nick was over.

"I'll cross that bridge if I should ever come to it,
Nick." I said. "Until then, I want to continue to wear
this ring. Besides, I like the way it looks on me."

"Ok." Nick said. "I guess that's alright."

I then looked around the room and saw that everyone
had quieted down and were watching us.

"What?" I asked the occupants in the room.

"Aww!" I heard all of them gush, in unison. Nick and I
both blushed.

"Come on guys." I said. "Nick just got me roses for a
present. They were to apologize for what happened in
L.A. It doesn't mean anything."

Everyone just looked at each other and shrugged it
off. The rest of the guys went back to watching the
television, and the girls resumed cooking in the
kitchen. I turned back to Nick.

"Why don't you go and watch the television with the
guys?" I said.

Nick shrugged.

"I guess I can." he said. "But first, I need to use
your bathroom."

"Sure." I said, "Go ahead."

Nick then walked towards the bathroom, while I started
to walk towards the kitchen, but was stopped by the
doorbell, ringing again.

"Damn, I must be popular today." I said, as I walked
to the door and opened it.

When I saw who it was, my breath caught in my throat.
I stood there, in shock, staring at the person who was
standing before me.

"Oh my god!" I said, my eyes wide.

Drew stood in the doorway, looking at me, a big smile
on his face.

"Merry Christmas, Sean."




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

Well, that's it for this one. I hope you all enjoyed
it! I'm sorry it's a bit late. I worked really hard on
this one.

I promise, I will get the next part of it out, after
the new year, but as I say: Better late, then never!"
;-)

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

Stay tuned.

slpwriter@yahoo.com