When everyone walked inside and got settled in, Kevin, Emalia and Cassandra told they're story, and Mercedes added in her own little bits every couple of minutes, while holding Brian tighter. Cassandra went upstairs, and Mercedes went with her.
"Cassie, where are you going?" Mercedes asked her. When she saw that she was going into Nick's room, she didn't ask again. They both walked in and Mercedes closed the door.
"I miss this room," Cassandra said. She jumped on the bed and inhaled the scent of the pillows. "I love this bed. It's so comfortable. This room is so cool too." Cassandra put her hands behind her head and closed her eyes. Mercedes figured that she'd want to be left alone, so she went back downstairs.
Cassandra heard her leave, and rolled over on the bed. Although the bed was neatly made and hadn't been touched in a while, she stood up. She pulled the covers down, got in the bed, and drew the covers over her. She huddled them close to her and closed her eyes again and took a deep breath. Tears started streaming down her face, staining the light blue pillow. "Oh God, Nick," she breathed.
She dragged herself out of his bed. She ran her hands along the pillow to try and get rid of some of the tears, but she just gave up and threw the covers up towards the head board.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. A.J. ran down the stairs and opened the door.
"Is Isabella here?" Austin asked.
"Oh, Austin! Our date, it totally slipped my mind! Why don't we go next door and I will put on my gown?" Isabella insisted.
"Okay, shall we?" said Austin holding his hand out.
"We shall," she said smiling and taking his hand, right in front of A.J. "Good night everyone. Oh who is going to pick up Nick?"
"Don't worry, we will take care of Nick, you go and have fun," Brian said pushing her.
"Don't stay out past midnight," A.J. added.
"Whatever," Isabella said laughing. A.J. shut the door and sat down with the rest of the group.
Austin and Isabella went to a nice restaurant. They ordered a gourmet pizza to share, then they spent about an hour on the dance floor. Austin suddenly stopped dancing and looked Isabella in the eyes.
"Stay here," he said.
"A date?" A.J. questioned.
"What'd I miss?" Cassandra asked coming back down the stairs.
"Austin just came by saying that he was taking Isabella on a date," replied A.J.
"A.J. it's not a big deal yet," said Cassandra.
"Yet?"
"Well she is planning on moving in with him and he wants to marry her."
"Look what has happened. Who can I blame this on?"
"It's no one's fault."
"Then how did it happen?"
"Look, maybe it's for the best-"
"The best? Over my dead body! I will not let her make the mistake of marrying a man that she doesn't love!"
"You mean you won't let her marry anyone, but you."
"Oh shut up, you don't understand."
"No you shut up. I do know, I walked out on Nick. Now everyone can know the truth! That is the truth, he has had this major attitude problem so I left."
"Oh yeah? But you weren't left, you walked away."
"I had to!" yelled Cassandra.
"You never have to."
"No you are wrong," Cassandra said, starting to get very mad.
"No I'm not and you know that I'm not!"
"No shut up, you are wrong!" Cassandra stopped arguing with him, and stormed off.
Austin walked over to the DJ and talked to him. Suddenly the music stopped and Austin had a microphone in his hand.
"Isabella, I thought it would take time for you to even look at me, but you just clung on to me as soon as I gave you some slack. We could start from the beginning, but we have already been there. Listen, what I am trying to say is we have dated in the past and it was great, but, will you marry me?" He handed Isabella a little black box inside was a gold ring with a red rose made of rubies. She turned bright red with embarrassment at the whole restauraunt staring at them.
"Oh Austin. Yes I will marry you!" Isabella felt the tears began running down her face. She gave him a hug and kissed him. Then the people around them began to clap loudly.
"How about the week after tomorrow?"
"Okay," she kissed him again. "You are so sweet."
"I know. I love you so much. I am so glad you said yes."
"I love you too. I said yes for a reason."
"That's good." They both laughed. "Let me take you home."
"That sounds good." They got in the car and started back.
"I think it's time to go back home," said Nicole standing up.
"Good idea," Cassandra said coming back into the room. "Let's go."
"Will someone please, walk us over?" Emalia asked.
"Kevin and I will," said Brian. Then he went over to A.J. and whispered to him. "A.J. if Nick calls pick him up at the airport."
"No problem." Then A.J. blurted out, "When Nick gets here, we can talk about how we feel about our girlfriend or wife in his case, leaving us for no good reason!" said A.J.
"Screw you, I would never walk out on him for no reason!" yelled Cassandra.
"You know, Isabella says the same thing."
"You leave her out of this!"
"Oh, but how could I after what she has done?"
"She did nothing, you stupid bastard. She didn't do anything that you didn't bring on to yourself. I am glad she is with Austin now!"
"What do you mean she did nothing? Give me a break, she did all, it's her fault!"
"You messed up the relationship a long time ago! When you cheated on the first time! How dare you talk about her like this! Why don't you give her a break, she feels bad enough. She doesn't need you making things worse!"
"Me making things worse? I am trying to make things better!"
"Well it's not working!"
"Don't you have to go home now?"
"Yeah I do, when I am good and ready."
"Whatever bitch."
"Stop being such an ass hole A.J., she still loves you! She is only going out with Austin because of how you are acting."
"Acting, what the hell am I doing?"
"You are being a total dick weed, that's why!"
"I hate to break up this wonderful fight, but I think we should go now," said Nicole. She pushed Cassandra outside the door. Mercedes and Brian were going to stay in his old room. So Nicole, Emalia, Mercedes and Cassandra started out the door escorted by Kevin and Brian, while A.J. went upstairs to take a shower.
When the girls' reached the house, Austin pulled up in the driveway with Isabella.
"Isabella!" said Cassandra. Isabella gave Austin a good night kiss and got out of the car. She waved good bye as he pulled away and out of sight.
"Hey," Isabella said.
"A little close are we?" Cassandra asked.
"I have an announcement," Isabella said ignoring the question.
"What about?" Cassandra continued to ask questions.
"I am getting married to Austin, the week after tomorrow," Isabella continued.
"You are kidding, right?" Cassandra said not believing any of it.
"No, I'm not," Isabella answered.
"Excuse me I have to go-go to the bathroom, yeah to the bathroom," Cassandra made up in amazement.
"I think we all need to use the bathroom," Mercedes added using Cassandra's excuse. Then she whispered to Brian. "You guys better go back now. You don't want to miss picking up Nick."
"Good idea," Brian whispered back giving Mercedes her good night kiss. "Let's go Kev." They walked back home.
"Where'd they have to go?" Cassandra asked.
"Oh I don't know," said Mercedes and Cassandra shrugged. The five of them went inside. Isabella went straight to bed because she was tired from all the dancing, and from all of the shock. It had been a long day for everyone, but the rest of the girls stayed up to talk in the living room.
"So much has happened today," Emalia said to begin the conversation off the subject of marriage.
"She is really marrying Austin," Mercedes said impatiently. Emalia gave a look that said 'Don't rush the conversation or anything!'
"I don't think she really loves him," Cassandra said concerned.
"Then why would she say yes?" Mercedes asked.
"Inspite of A.J. of course," Emalia answered for Cassandra.
"That and so much had been on her mind lately she probably can't think straight. I know Isabella, she will have second thoughts. It is just the case of her following through on those thoughts. If she talks to Austin and he says everything perfectly, they will be married, but if he says something wrong, it will be over," Cassandra had a plan coming to her.
"So if we talk her into talking to Austin then the marriage will be broken off and we would have saved Isabella's future. Because we all know she doesn't really want this marriage. It just isn't clicking right now," Mercedes agreed.
"But how do you know she will have second thought?" said Nicole.
"I know she will by next week, if nothing major happens," Cassandra added. "I'm gonna go in my room. I'll see ya later guys."
"Yeah, see ya," they all said. Cassandra walked out of the living room and upstairs to her room. She sat down on her bed and pulled out her diary from her nightstand. Cassandra sat up on her bed writing in her diary.
"Hey Cassie!" yelled Nicole.
"What?" she yelled back.
"Simpson are on!"
"Okay!" Cassandra said. She put a marker in her diary, put it down on her bed and ran downstairs into the living room to join Nicole and Jonathan. Since everyone else had gone over to the guys' house to sleep that night, it was just the three of them.
"I love this episode!" said Nicole.
"Oh yeah? Which one is it?" asked Cassandra.
"It's the one with Principal Skinner and Mrs. Krebaple fall in love and do it everywhere possible." She grinned at Jonathan.
"Uh huh. I don't know what that grin was for, but that's a little more information that I needed."
"Me too," said Jonathan, and they laughed.
Brian and Kevin pulled into their driveway with Nick.
"Thanks guys," Nick said, "but how can I face Cassie?"
"Just talk to her. She'll understand," said Brian.
"Okay. See ya."
"Hey good luck man," said Kevin. Nick walked up to Cassandra's door, and let himself in.
"He's in big trouble," Brian said to Kevin.
"Huge trouble!" Kevin agreed.
Nick saw Nicole and Jonathan on the couch in the living room, and didn't want them to know that he was there. Knowing that Cassandra would probably be up in her room, he quietly snuck upstairs to surprise her. He walked into her room and didn't see her, but he noticed the flowered book on her bed.
"What's this?" he asked himself. He sat on her bed opened the book to where the marker was, and read.
"Dear Diary,
I never thought that I actually would, but I walked out on my husband the other day. You know that after I went out the front door I sat outside and waited for Nick for a while, for some conformation that he still cared, but I got none. He obviously doesn't care. I mean, what's the point of living all the way out there away from everything? From everyone that we love? If he doesn't call or do something very soon, I'm calling it quits. But I don't know if I can. I've only been away from him, not very long, and I deeply miss him. I miss making love to him. I miss his touch, I miss everything about him, but I can't take knowing that-" and that's where she stopped.
"Oh dear," he whispered.
He put the book down and ran downstairs. Then he saw her. It may only have been the back of her head, but he saw her. The realisation of everything that had happened between them, hit him hard. Standing by the front door, with her fingertips on the glass, she seemed to be waiting for something. She put her hands on the door and whispered,
"Damn it Nick."
He didn't want to call out her name until he got closer to her, in fear that she might run away from him and not talk to him.
"Cassandra?" he said walking up to one side of her. She gasped and turned her head slightly, not sure if it was him, and not sure if she wanted to face him. "Cassandra, please talk to me." She was sure now that it was Nick, but she had no words for him. Her hands started for the door knob. He grabbed her arm and stopped her. He turned her around to face him. "Please talk to me," he begged. The feel of him touching her was too much.
"Nick, I-" She stopped and looked down. She covered her mouth.
"Andy," he started, using the nickname that only he and Andrew called her. She looked up at him as soon as he called her this. "Listen to me." He grabbed her hands. She looked away again, but he gently pulled her face to face his. "I'm truly sorry for what happened between us. I don't know what came over me. I was a jerk, I realize that now."
She wanted to jump for joy, but she couldn't. She couldn't let it be that easy for him, not after he had hurt her like this. His hand on her face sent a shiver down her spine.
"Nick, you hurt me. You hurt me deeply, but the truth is, that I went crazy when I left you. I felt like I was walking away from my life. I didn't know if I could do it, but I know why I did."
"Oh Cassie, I can't say how sorry I am. I couldn't sleep without holding you at night, and I couldn't eat at all. All of my thoughts revolved around you. Everything was you. I didn't know what I had until I lost it. Until I lost you."
She couldn't believe what had happened between them. She loved him more than life itself. She didn't realize that she had put her hand over his and was leaning closer to him, until their lips met, but it didn't go beyond that. This kiss felt foreign to both of them.
With their lips still together, they both opened their eyes, and looked at each other. She quickly pulled away from him and headed out the door. "Cassandra!" he called after her. "Please!" She quickly turned around and stared coldly at him in the moonlight.
"We can't keep doing this Nick! What's gonna happen the next time we have a fight? One of us is gonna hop a plane to the other side of the continent? No! I can't hide from the fact that the things that you said upset me deeply. Things that I thought that you had accepted about me. We made vows to be together for better or for worse. I have news for you, this is worse, and you didn't even stick by me. My sister, is going through a very painful and traumatic experience and you couldn't be there for either of us? That's not marriage Nick, that's irrational and immature." With that she turned and ran into the guys house.
Nick was appalled at what she had said. They were such strong words from her, and he knew that she meant them. Every word of it. He followed behind her as she walked into the house.
"Cassie please!" he said. Everyone was in the living room, and turned their attention to the two of them.
"Told ya he was in trouble," said Brian.
"What Nick?" said Cassandra. He didn't say anything. "I thought so." He couldn't take it anymore, so he thought back to something that would get her attention.
"Can you hear the music?" She stopped in her tracks, turned around and gazed at him.
"Yeah, it's off key."
"Cassie, please-" She let him walk up to her and touch her face. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard. He took her hands and dropped to both knees looking down at the ground. "I'm sorry. I saw everything in your eyes, my whole life, and it didn't look like this. You've become like jelly in my hands. I feel you slip away from me, and there's nothing that I can do about it. It's killing me inside. Did we build our love on sinking ground? Are we destined to always have something come between us?"
They didn't say anything for the next minute. She could only look at him.
"The words that you speak are so beautiful, but do you mean them like you meant all of that stuff that you said before? You made me feel guilty that I had to go find my sister and my best friend. I can't forget that."
"I know, but if I could take it all back, if I could hold you tonight, you would see that I didn't mean any of it. I said once that I would be there until the end and that I will always love you. Would you believe it? Is there a chance anywhere that there is still something here to build on? Was I wrong to assume that you were waiting here for me?" She pulled him up from his knees, but she couldn't find any words to say.
She turned and ran up the stairs. She didn't know where she was going. She let her instincts guide her around the guys' house. He followed close behind her, and into his room. In there, she suddenly gazed down at her wedding ring and then up at him. He touched her ring then held her hand. She touched his ring, but wasn't sure what it meant anymore.
"Yikes," said Emalia.
"I don't think that's the word that could describe this," said Kevin.
"Uh oh, is more like it," said Brian.
"What do you think will happen?" Mercedes asked. Everyone shrugged, they couldn't answer that question.
"Hey where'd Cassandra go?" Nicole asked looking up as the Simpsons were over.
"I dunno," said Jonathan. He leaned over and stroked her face. She closed her eyes and waited until she felt his lips touch hers. She ran her fingers through his hair and let her fingertips drop to the side of his face, to his shoulders, then down along his chest.
He put his hands on his face, and his cold hands made her shiver. He put his arms around her and gently pushed her down on the couch as they began to kiss deeper, and deeper.
"Hey Mercedes, you coming?" Brian yelled down the stairs.
"Yeah!" Mercedes yelled and ran up the stairs. She walked into Brian's room. There wasn't much in it since they had moved everything to their new house.
"Doesn't it feel weird in here?" Brian asked her.
"Yeah it does-oh Brian! The baby! It just kicked! Come here!" She grabbed his hand and placed it on her stomach. Brian smiled.
"I love you," he said.
"Oh Brian, I love you too!" She grabbed his other hand and squeezed it tight.
"No you weren't wrong to assume that I was waiting for you," Cassandra finally said letting go of his hand and laying down on the bed, dangling her legs over the edge.
"So how bout it?"
"How about what?" she asked sitting up. He went over to her and kneeled before the bed, and her.
"Will you take me back?" She only looked at him and made him look at her. "How could I take you back? I never gave up on you, I would never let you go. As unbelievable as it is to say, you're my husband and I love you too much to give up on you, to give up on us."
"Oh Cassie, I'm so sorry," he said hugging her tight.
"I know, me too."
She sat on his bed and he paced around the room, not really saying much to each other. Finally, Nick went over to her and put his arm around her and gently pulled her in for a kiss. She met his lips, and realized that she wasn't just kissing Nick, she was kissing her husband. His hand gently swept across her cheek and he kept it there, his fingertips gently resting on the side of her face. Their kisses grew longer and more passionate.
"Intensity," he whispered.
"You remember," she smiled.
"Of course."
"Our relationship doesn't seem like it used to be. It isn't really that much different, we've only taken it to the last step."
"How does it feel different?"
"We used to be just so carefree and we used to be so romantic. Now it seems like everything's a big stress."
"Maybe, but nothing's written in stone, we can get that all back."
"Can we?" He kissed her hard taking his fingertips and caressing up and down her arms. She let his lips leave hers and roam down her neck. She tilted her head away and closed her eyes. His lips went to her shoulder. He picked up her arm and kissed all the way down it. When he reached her hand, he looked up at her eyes and kissed her ring.
"We can sure try."
She reached down and lifted his shirt off. She lightly pushed on him so he laid on his stomach. He closed his eyes and relaxed. She moved over him and sat on his lower back. She laid down over him then rolled off. He rolled over and looked at her. Her arms were stretched up over her head, and he took his hands and held down her wrists. He gazed down upon her, and it was too much for her. She had to close her eyes. She felt him let go of her wrists and slightly lift up her shirt. He kissed along her stomach, running his fingertips along the edge of her pants.
She put her hands up to his chest and pushed him, but then moved her arms around him, and pulled his body down closer to hers.