**Jessica**
I opened the letter and read it.
Well, you told me to keep in touch, and I am!!! Wahoo! We just got back from dinner. I really need to yell at Nick. I have a feeling that after he eats at your house, he throws up. He called today and I asked him what he was going to eat for lunch, and he convinced me that he was really not hungry and that he and the guys had already eaten. He was lying. He lied to me. I know it.
I AM SO HAPPY ABOUT YOU AND BONER!!!!! That is so cool! I really am
happy.
Everyone here says, "HI!" and they wish you were here.
I wish that you would e-mail me back sooner! J/K. It's my last day here!
I must get home and yell at my finacé and try to figure out what's wrong with
him.
Yak to ya lata!
~Kayci
I could tell, just from her letter, that she missed him terribly and that she was so worried about him. I have been keeping a close eye on him and he is doing fine. I don't think that he would lie to her Even though she was supposed to be coming home tonight, I figured that I might as well e-mail her again. I wouldn't see her tonight. A.J. had already left to go pick her up and then her and Nick were going to go out to dinner. I was so tired already that I was just going to write this last e-mail, wait for her reply and then go to bed. She told me that if she were on the plane and got one of my messages, that she would plug her computer into the airplane phone line and send a message back.
I clicked send, and then waited.
**Kayci**
My laptop beeped just as I opened it. The man sitting next to me on the plane looked at me, and then at my computer and I guess understood. I had told everyone that I was leaving California to go directly home. I had announced my engagement today, not in the way that I had pictured it. I had told mom first and she went and told my cousin and my cousin announced it to the enitre reception hall. I loved him, he was so cool, and the whole family was happy for me, I just didn't want to take away from his day. Because it was his day.
I opened the mail and read it.
Dear Kayci,
I am glad you took my offer of keeping in touch seriously...
I am really worried about Nick if he keeps this up it will become a serious problem, you know that right? He is going to get really sick and with all this tour stuff? He will push himself to go the farthest and he will work himself out. We really need to get him some help... Even if that means "professional help"... He will not be happy about this one but if he doesn't eat and keep it in there he will...well you know so I am not going to
type it...
Plus if he is lying to you that can't be good at all because then you will never know what is going on for real... And an unhonest relationship is not good, in the words of Sammy "Where there is no trust there is no love" I will help you in anyway possible, but I think we are coming to our last options...
I am glad you are happy about me and "boner" I am too... things are
working out well...
Hope all is well sorry for the delay I have been out and about so I will talk to you soon...
~Jessica (sis)
Tears started streaming down my face. I looked over the first two paragraphs over and over again. She was right and I had never thought of it that way. Nick could...he could...if he doesn't start eating soon...with all of the work that he does...the hard work...he could...
I couldn't bring myself to say it or think it. It just didn't seem possible. God I wish that this flight would hurry up! I plugged my computer into the phone line and e-mailed her back.
**Jessica**
Finally, Kayci finally e-mails me back. This would be my last e-mail to her. A.J. had just called and told me that there has been an emergency with his grandmother and that we had to fly out tomorrow morning, like at four in the morning. I definitely wouldn't see Kayci at that hour! A.J. said that he would explain it to her in the car. I opened her letter.
Yeah, you wrote a lot back! J/K Anyway, I am on my way home!
With all of the planes that I've been catching and all of the running around and travelling, I don't know how the guys (especailly Nick) can handle any of this. I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOO TIRED!! And just totally wiped out, all I wanna do is sleep and I'm not doing any hard dancing and singing like they do. Now I understand when Nick comes home, all he wants to do is sleep. I don't blame him. But I just wish that he would eat too.
I gotta go. E-mail me before I land.
Keep some eye on him, please.
~Kayci
I tiped as fast as I could to get my message sent before she couldn't use her laptop anymore. I quickly signed my name and sent it. I looked back at Nick who was just sitting on the couch in a daze. "Hey Nick...why don't you start getting ready? I know that Kayci will want to leave as soon as she gets in."
"Good idea. Do you know when she'll be here?" he asked hopefully. I just had to laugh.
"No Cutie, she'll be in soon enough." He nodded and ran off. That boy sure misses her. I'm gonna miss her too when I leave tomorrow, but I'll be with A.J. and I'm not leaving forever.
**Kayci**
My computer beeped and I quickly opened the message. I didn't have much time left...all electronic things were going to have to be turned off soon. I opened the message.
Dear Kayci,
He has been at my house a lot... Don't worry... Actually he ate yesterday and he said "I am to lazy to get it out" And he didn't do it... Although you don't need to e-mail me back. Yesterday I found out there has been an emergency and today I am flying to Virgina for a week I will be back on Sunday... I am scared to what is wrong because one day I thought I was going to be home and now I am flying away...
Well get some sleep, don't worry about Nick he has been in good hands. Have fun and say hi to everyone in Califoria for me! Tell mom I said hi and I hope she is enjoying her vacation. I got to pack see ya later.
Luv ya,
~Jessica
My heart dropped. I closed my laptop and disconnected it. I was too depressed to even try to e-mail her back. She was leaving? Now? Why now? What emergency? Fuck...fuck...fuck. Now what was I going to do? I couldn't handle Nick on my own. I can't even handle myself.
We are now on our way back to my house. A.J. had explained everything to me about how something was wrong with his grandmother and he wanted...needed Jessie to be there with him. I guess that was okay. A.J. pulled into my driveway and I jumped out and ran into my house. I saw Nick sitting on the couch. "Nick?" He looked up and a broad smile touched his face. He jumped up and I ran to him and hugged him. He kissed me over and over again. It seemed like we hadn't seen each other in years.
"You're back!"
"I wouldn't break a dinner date with a gorgeous man." The truth was, I really wasn't all that hungry. He yawned. "Are you tired?"
He shook his head. "No."
"Liar. What time is it?" I grabbed his wrist and looked at his watch. "Ah, it's eleven-thirty. I didn't realize what time it was. Maybe we shouldn't go."
"Fine," he said. "I'll be right back. I gotta give something to Jess." With that, he ran out of the house. Okay, what just happened? I shook my head and went into my room to change. I was too tired to care. I changed into my rose silk nightgown that fell just above my knees and had a slit up the left side. I knew that Nick liked this one. I grabbed a book and went out onto the couch to wait for him.
About ten minutes later, I heard the door slam and Nick stomed in the house. I looked up.
"Let's go to bed," he growled. I didn't answer him. I just went back to reading my book. I wasn't going to talk to him if he was going to act like that. "Fuck, Kayci! Now!" He walked into my room. I stood up. Great, now what was wrong. "Kayci!" he screamed from my bedroom. He came out of my room, grabbed my arm and hurried me into the room. I yanked my arm away.
"Nick, what the hell is wrong with you?" I glared at him straight in his eyes and he turned to mush. He sat down in my vanity chair and put his head in his hands. I sat down on the bed and watched him.
"I'm sorry. I was just so tired. I was so happy to see you again but you broke our date."
I couldn't believe him! "That's only because you were tired."
"I know. I'm extremely tired and when I came in here and you were reading and you didn't answer me...I don't know." He paused for a minute and I only stared at him. "Kayci, I've been lying to you." I didn't want to tell him that I already knew. I just let him talk. He looked up. "All of those times that I told you that I had already eaten with the guys, they were all lies. I'm so sorry, Baby. I couldn't tell you the truth. I didn't want you to pressure me."
So that's what he really thinks. Finally, the truth comes out. I dropped my book on the floor and jumped into bed. I rolled away from him and just kinda laid there for a while. I was on the edge and I couldn't go any further. I heard him get up. He turned out my light and climbed into bed. He made no effort, whatsoever, so put his arm around me like he did every night, so I did. As soon as my arm touched his body, I felt him tense up. I withdrew my arm, rolled over and pushed back over to the edge. And that's how we fell asleep...me on one edge, him on the other...backs to each other...and hurt.