**Kayci**
This night was not going as I had planned but it was going as I had expected it to. A.J. had ordered some steak thing, Jessica ordered something chicken-like and I had ordered salmon. Nick didn't order anything. He claimed that he just wasn't hungry and that he had already had a big lunch with me. Liar. But I went along with it. I hated lying to A.J. and so did Jessica.
Earlier on today when I had to go get Nick's suit from his house, I asked his permission to tell Jess everything that had been going on with him and he had complied. So now she knew and when Nick didn't order anything, we exchanged concerned glances and I know that A.J. noticed them but he didn't think anything of it.
Well here is our food. God, mine looks so good, but A.J.'s and Jess' does too! I looked at Nick out of the corner of my eye and he looked so hungry. Jess looked at him too as A.J. poked at her dinner. I had two forks and since I didn't eat salad with one of them, I picked it up and pushed it towards Nick. "At least try mine. It's really good!" My face looked happy so A.J. wouldn't be suspicious, but Nick could read my eyes and they were just pleading to him. He took the fork.
"Okay." Yes! I looked at Jess and she nodded. He took some off of my plate and ate it. I had tears in my eyes I was so happy. This may seem like a little thing but I haven't seen him eat in so long. I could tell he liked it so I kept it going.
"Please, Nick. Help yourself." He reached over and took more. Oh thank you God! Jess gently tapped my foot underneath the table and I slightly nodded at her and smiled.
All through dinner, A.J. was so hyper. He just would not shut up! But it was funny and it meant less talking that I had to do and more attention I could focus on Nick. A.J. had ordered their finest champagne and four of their most exquisite glasses. And they just arrived.
"Is there any special occasion?" the waitor asked nicely as he poured us each some champagne.
I didn't want to make a big scene. "Not-"
"These two just got engaged!" A.J. interrupted. I glared at him and he shrugged. He stood up. Oh God, what's he doing now? "Excuse me everyone!" He tapped on his plate. "These two here just got engaged and I would like to make a toast." All at once, the entire restaurant held up their glasses. I could feel my cheeks burning. I turned to Nick and he smiled at me and put his arm around my shoulder. "To you guys," A.J. started. "Congratulations and may you have the best sex...I mean, married life that two people can have. Cheers!" Everyone tapped their glasses together. I tapped my glass to Nick's and we took a sip. He reached over and pulled me in to his arms and gave me a long kiss. I could hear the people in the restaurant oohing and then they started clapping. I made a mental note to kill A.J. when we got home.
Later on that evening, Nick went to get ready for bed and I sat in the living room on the couch. I didn't kill A.J., I decided to let him survive for a while. Actually, what he did was kinda...cool in a way. Announcing to the world that Nick and I were going to get married. I smiled to myself. It was weird-
I heard a noise...there it is again. I walked into my room. There. Again. What is it? I heard it coming from my adjoining bathroom. The light was on and the door was closed. I pressed my ear up against the door. There is it again. Without knocking, I walked into the bathroom and I covered my mouth to keep from screaming. I saw Nick hunched over the toilet...throwing up. I rushed over to him and put my hands on his back. "Nick? Nick? Are you okay?"
"I think I ate too much too soon. I don't think my body was ready to handle that sort of food that quickly." He turned, and threw up again. I pray to God that this wasn't induced by him. I gently massaged his neck as tears started to roll down my face. I was so scared.
When he finally stopped, I helped him up. "I'll be in my room." I left, knowing that he'd need a minute first. I sat down on my bed and wiped my tears away. He came hobbling out of the bathroom and collapsed on my bed. "How do you feel, Honey?"
"I feel terrible," he mumbled into the comforter. I helped him underneath the covers and got in next to him. "I can't believe you had to see me like that."
I put my hand on his face and turned his eyes to mine. "I am here for you. I always will be. It's okay, Honey."
"I just can't take any of this anymore. I can't believe you saw that." More tears began to roll from his eyes. I didn't think that either of us had any more left in us, but apparently, we did. And he let them out on my shoulder. I stayed awake while he cried and a little while after until he fell asleep. I looked at the ceiling for a little while, a lot of thoughts racing through my mind...none really that I can point out individually. Basically, they were all about Nick. I finally decided to close my eyes and try to fall asleep, but I soon found that it wasn't going to be easy.
**Jessica**
I stood in Kayci's bedroom doorway as she went to go wake up Nick. She had gotten a call from mom this morning that our cousin was getting married and she wanted Kayci to come and see the entire family again. I didn't want to go and I told Kayci to tell mom that I was on vacation somewhere. As much as Kayci protested, she finally gave up and agreed to come. Kayci lightened up and figured it would be the perfect time to tell everyone that she had gotten engaged. So it wasn't going to be all bad.
A.J. had offered to take her to the airport and I had offered to look after Nick while she was gone. She knew that if anyone could literally kick some sense into Nick, it would be me. Kayci really dreaded the thought of leaving him, especially after what happened last night, but I had convinced her that this would be a very much needed break from everything. A.J. and I had also said that we should take some time apart last night. He was just being a jerk and I finally told him to leave. Kayci didn't understand. She had thrown a fit at me this morning. I just didn't want to think about him.
Nick finally sat up. "G'morning."
"Honey, I have to go to Arizona for a while."
"Huh?"
"My cousin's getting married and the family wants to see me again. Hey, it'll be the perfect time for me to tell my family, the entire family, that I got engaged to the most gorgeous, sweetest, kindest man in the whole world!"
I could tell that Nick was blushing. Hey, it was the only color on his face.
"And you're going to be staying with Jess until I get back."
"I am?"
"Yes you are. I need her to look after you since I can't do it."
"Jeez, I feel like a two year old."
"Well until you stop acting like one, I'm going to have to treat you like one." Yeah, Kayci! He needed to hear that. She gave him a long kiss. "I'll be back in a couple of days. All right? I love you."
He just stared down at his hands. "Okay. I love you, too." She kissed his forehead and walked towards the door. She turned around and he looked up and she waved at him.
"Get some rest," she said. He only nodded. "Bye, Sweetie." We walked into the living room where A.J. was waiting. Ugh, A.J. I tried to escape out the front door, but Kayci grabbed my arm. "And I expect that you two work out this shit by the time I get home."
"Keep in touch," I told her.
"I will. I'm going to be taking my laptop with me so I will e-mail you as often as I can. I will try to call you if I can."
"Honey." We turned around to see Nick.
"Hey. What are you doing up?" Kayci asked him.
"Here," he said and handed her a cell phone. "Take my cell phone, and call me."
She took it and smiled. "All right." She went over and hugged him for a minute. "I will call you as soon as I get in. I'll try not to rack up the bill very high."
He laughed. "Don't worry about it. Money's not important."
She kissed him again. "I'll miss you."
"Damn it, Kayci," A.J. said, "you're only going to be gone a couple of days! Let's go, we're going to be late!"
"All right, all right!" Kayci said. "Bye Nick. I love you."
"I love you, too." God, get them out of the house already. A.J. grabbed Kayci's bags and walked out of the house. I gave Kayci a hug.
"Don't forget to keep in touch," I said.
"I will e-mail you as soon as I get in."
"I thought you were going to call me as soon as you got in?" Nick whined. We both gave him a look.
"Nick, Sweetie, I will e-mail her and then call you. Okay?" Kayci said.
He thought about it and then smiled. "Okay." I walked with her to the door.
"Bye guys," she said. She blew Nick a kiss and I pushed her out of the door. God, good ridence. I shut the door and turned back to look at Nick. For the next couple of days, I was going to see what it's like to Kayci. I knew it wouldn't be as bad. She told me a lot of things that went on, but I knew that she didn't tell me everything. I bet that she barely tells me anything. I've never seen Nick cry...at least not the way that he cries in private. "A couple of times in private he breaks down. But only with me. And I can never break down in front of him," Kayci had told me.
These next couple of days would be a lot easier on me than Kayci because I'm not as emotionally attatched to Nick. Of course it hurt me to see him like this, now that I knew what was wrong...but nothing like it hurt Kayci. "Come on, Nick," I said. "Let's go back to my house and I'll make you something to eat."
We headed out of Kayci's house and on the way to my house he said, "No, I'm not hungry." It begins.
**Kayci**
I was now sitting in my hotel room and bored out of my mind. I had gotten my own room so I didn't have to share with anyone. The plane ride had been so long. It had been about a five hour ride and I was so tired. With the time zone change, it would be really late back home, but I had promised Nick that I would call him. But first, I wanted to e-mail Jessica. I plugged in my laptop to the outlet and the phone line and started the internet, and started my letter.
**Jessica**
I had been up all night by my computer waiting for Kayci to e-mail me. Nick had been sitting on the couch by the phone and he had fallen asleep. Ah, a beep on my computer meaning that I have a new message. Good! It's from Kayci. I opened it and read it to myself.
Dear Jessica,
Hey! How are ya? The plane ride was so long and so boring! I miss you all already! Tell everyone that I said HI! but I'll probably be calling any minute anyway!
I wanted to also make sure that since Nick isn't with me, that he is with you and I want to make sure that you keep an eye on him. We're not out of the rough yet and now is a crutial time for him and I. Because of the plane rides all day today, I didn't see him eat all day.
When you e-mail me, I want you to tell me that you're back to being A.J.'s
girlfriend and that you two are back to your normal sex drive.
I really don't know what else to say! Believe it or not! I'll probably e-mail you again later. I'd just assume we go home right now.
~Kayci
Wow, she really didn't have much to say. I guess there's a first time for everything. I opened a new message and started to write a reply. All of a sudden, the phone rang. I turned around and saw Nick jump off of the couch and grab the phone on the stand next to the couch.
"Kayci!" he practically yelled. I turned back around to the computer and wrote my letter. I knew that she wouldn't get it tonight, but maybe in the morning she'd have written back.
**Nick**
"Oh my God! Kayci! You called me!"
She laughed. "What? Did you think that I wouldn't?"
"No, it's just...I don't know! I miss you!"
"I miss you, too. But I'm coming back in a couple of days." She paused. I couldn't think of anything to say, I hoped that she would. "So how are you? How are you feeling? I hated having to leave after last night."
"Don't worry about it, Honey. I feel fine."
"Did you eat?" Oh God. I had hoped that she wouldn't ask me that. I had eaten today, Jess made me, but I couldn't keep it down. It just didn't feel right in my stomach. "Did you?"
I looked at Jess and covered the phone. "Of course I did Honey." Technically, I wasn't lying to her. "Hey give me the phone number where you are and I'll call you in the morning."
"Okay, but you have to remember that I'm three hours behind you."
I laughed. "So if it's three o'clock here you should just be getting up there."
"Oh not funny!" I laughed and she gave me her room phone number. I wanted to scream. Everything had been building up within me these couple of weeks. Kayci was gonna hate me. She was gonna break off the engagement if she knew that I had been lying to her all of this time. I would have to tell her in the morning before the lying killed me.
**Kayci**
I woke up and looked at the clock. It was eight-thirty. I guess that's okay considering for me it was eleven-thirty. I sat up. Nick hadn't called yet so I guess I could check my mail first. I opened my laptop and checked my mail. Sure enough. There was a reply. I opened it and smiled...relief surged through my body.
Dear Kay,
I'm glad that you took my advice on keeping in touch seriously!
I saw on the news all the floods in Arizona, be careful! It looks bad! Don't worry I am watching Nick very closely and he has been eating at my house I had Brian buy 80 pizza rolls just for him... So he is eating... Well I had Rose sleep over (what a thrill) we watched a couple horror films and did stuff... She is like hyper active so much and then she is tired and won't move... Anyway...
Mr. Alexander James and I are girlfriend and boyfriend although not an "active couple" we are recooperating from our previous statis...
Well say hi to everyone for me, mom, Cousin, and everyone else... Hi Kay, don't worry I will continue watching out for the future brother in law(or at least I think future brother in law) g2g
~Jessica (keep in touch)
I was so happy about her and A.J. Not only that, but she had confirmed that Nick had been eating. He was getting better! I quickly wrote her a letter back and closed my laptop. All of a sudden, the phone rang. I picked it up quickly. "Nicky! I love you!"
**Nick**
Um, wow. Hi to you, too, Kayci. "Somebody woke up on the right side of the bed this morning!" P> "I just got an e-mail from Jess. Her and A.J. are back together!"
Yay. "Yay!"
"And she also told me about you eating! Honey, I'm so proud of you!"
Oh boy. I couldn't tell her now. There was no way I could crush her right now. I just couldn't. Hadn't I already done enough? "Thanks, Sweetie. I'm...proud of me, too."
"You should be!"
"Well, I don't want to rack up that hotel bill. It's probably already high enough."
"Tell me about it."
"I just wanted to call because I told you I would. I can't wait for you to come home."
"If I can, I'll be home tomorrow evening."
"Really?"
"I'll try. Well I have to go."
"Okay. See you tomorrow. I love you."
"I love you, too. Bye." I held the phone up to my ear and listened to her hang up and I listened for a couple seconds longer. I heard a beep on Jessica's computer and she came running in.
"Did you get another message?" I asked setting the phone back down.
"Um...yup!"
"Can I read it?"
"Of course not!" I was shocked.
"But she's my finaceé."
"And it's my letter. Now, go away. Go...I dunno, hit A.J. or something." I walked away. I figured I might as well hit A.J. with something and get her in trouble. I grinned and started to stalk out A.J.