When I woke up in the morning, a single red rose lay next to me. Attached was a note that said, 'To my fiancee', Love your Nick'. I smiled at his thoughtfulness. I suddenly remembered that Jane was leaving this morning. I grabbed the rose and ran down the stairs. I heard someone in the kitchen. I walked in there and Jane was standing by the refrigerator, fully dressed.

"Good-morning, Jennifer," she said.

"Morning, Jane. Where's Nick?"

"Kevin called about half an hour ago and said he needed to talk to him. So, he left about 20 minutes ago. But, I want to know how it went last night" she said curiously.

"Well, I don't know if Nick told you or if you had known already, but Nick and I are engaged," I said.

"I know. He was so nervous. It took him about four hours to pick out your ring. Him and Brian went. Well, I'd love to stay and chat but I have a plane to catch. Tell Nick I love him and that I'll see him in a few weeks," she said. "Bye."

"Bye," I returned.

About 30 minutes after Jane left, Nick returned. He slammed the front door and ran upstairs. Angel and I were making pancakes. I ran upstairs after Nick. I went into his room. He was pacing back and forth.

"Nick what's wrong?" I asked worriedly.

"Jen come here," he said. Now I was really scared.

"Jen, I have to leave the day after tomorrow," he said looking down at me. His arms were around my waist.

"Why?" I asked.

"We have a video shoot in LA. I'll be gone about 5 days," he finished.

Five days? Five days w/o my Nicky? It's true that he had been away for longer than that. But now, our relationship was much more serious. I hoped we could handle it.

The next two days, I helped Nick pack. On Tuesday morning, a limo came to the house at about 10:00a.m. to take Nick to the airport. He took my hand while the driver put his luggage in the back.

"You know, it's only 5 days. I could think of a worse trip," he paused. "But I'll still miss you though."

"I'll miss you too," I said. He leaned over and kissed me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my head.

"I gotta go. I'll call ya tonight," he said as he climbed in the limo.

I fidgeted with the engagement ring on my finger, as I watched the limo stop at the gate and drive away. The rest of the day dragged on, and I figured the next 4 days would also be like this. I wondered what Nick's trips were like. What was he doing right now?