“Nicky, who was at the door?” Jane asked while making his way to where Nick was standing, only to be stopped as her jaw dropped wide open upon seeing the girl that stood in front of her son. “What’s…what’s going on in here?”

“That’s what I’d like to know,” Nick silently replied, not taking his eyes off of Rinoa. “Is this some kind of sick joke?” he said as his voice trembled and his eyes filled with perplexity and uncertainty.

Rinoa felt her heart plunge as she saw Jane’s image. “I’m…I’m sorry, this is a bad time, I’ll…I’ll go now,” she said while quickly walking off, not giving Nick a chance to stop her.

Nick quickly turned to his mom, whom had the rest of the family that followed her trail for pancakes standing behind her. “I’ll be back,” he said while running outside in his socks and after Rinoa.

“Please wait!” he called out as he took hold of her arm. “Don’t go!”

“I shouldn’t have come, it wasn’t part of the deal,” she said, in tears.

“I’m confused,” Nick bellowed at her gently

“It wasn’t supposed to work out this way, but then you and I met up again at the party last night and…and I couldn’t just walk away from you…not again! I did it once and I couldn’t go through doing it again! I just can’t!”

“How do I know you’re not lying?” Nick stuttered, still somewhat in disbelief.

“Look deep into my eyes,” she said, “can’t you tell? Can’t you see how much I loved you before and how much I still love you now?”

Nick looked down on the ground. “I couldn’t bare to say goodbye, I tried but I couldn’t,” he said as tears finally flowed out of his eyes and the bottled pain began to flourish. “I died with you”