**Nick**
"I'm going to take her back to her house," Brian said after a minute of just sitting there looking bored. No! I didn't want her to leave. I could take care of her. She still hadn't spoken. She was probably too weak and it wouldn't be good for her to be moved.
"Brian, she shouldn't be moved," I finally spoke up. Brian turned and glared at me like, what do I know? The look was of pure...evil? Yeah, evil. Kayci shouldn't leave but Brian decided otherwise. I watched every movement that he made with increasing anger. He put his arms underneath her and lifted her up and took off out of my room. A.J. followed him. Um, Brian, hello! It's freezing outside at this hour, even now in the summertime, and she was just wearing that little night gown.
I grabbed my blanket and raced after them. I ran out of the front door and they were stopped on the front lawn, facing me. I stepped onto the lawn in bare feet and God was the grass cold!
I guess Brian had dropped something, a stupid pen or whatever and even in the dark, I could see Kayci shivering. What was he doing? He could look for the pen in the morning. She should be the first priority...getting her back into her house. A.J. was on the ground looking for the stupid pen while Brian just stood there watching. I saw Brian lean down and whisper something to Kayci and then he gently set her down on the ground. He dropped to the ground and started searching for his pen.
I saw Kayci start to waver. I ran over to her just in time. I extended my arms and caught her as her legs gave out. I helped her stand and she clung to me for warmth. I wrapped the blanket, and my arms around her body and held her as she shook and I listened as her teeth chattered. I was so angry with Brian at this moment. "Brian, I'm going to take her back to her house. It's freezing out here."
"Okay. I'll be right over." He didn't even look up. Jerk. I bent down and picked Kayci up into my arms. She curled up and buried her face into my neck. Her nose was so cold...it sent a chill up my spine. My heart cried out for her, to her for what Brian was doing.
I carefully opened the door to her house and brought her into her bedroom. I laid her down in her bed and pulled all of the covers and comforter up tightly to her. Her breathing was catchy and her teeth were still chattering. I leaned down and quickly kissed her lips and they were freezing. All of a sudden her phone rang. I picked it up. "Hello?"
"Nick?" It was Brian. "Oh good. A.J. asked me to go with him to pick up Jess. Tell Kayci that I love her and I'll be back in a little while."
"Brian, it's eleven-thirty in the evening!"
"I know. Nick, I'll be back as soon as I can." With that, he hung up the phone. I was disgusted. I didn't know that Brian could be like this.
Well, I couldn't just leave her. "That was Brian. He said he's going to go with A.J. to pick up Jess." I paused. I wasn't going to tell her that he had said that he loved her, because he didn't. "Kayci, I'm gonna go make you some hot chocolate, okay?" She barely nodded her head. I ran my hand softly over her face, bunched up the covers closer to her and walked out of the room.
**Kayci**
What the hell has just happened? I am so cold. So cold. How could Brian just keep me outside? If I had known where my voice was back there, I could have told him how cold I was and how I knew that I couldn't stand up on my own. Thank God for Nick. He knew what was coming when I was going to collapse. And he was there...ready, with a blanket. And he was so warm. So warm when I was so cold. So cold. And now he was making me something hot to drink. He was so good to me.
I slowly tried to sat up and found that I could, with ease. I wrapped his blanket around me and inhaled the scent. My heart jumped. It smelled so good. I stood up. A wave of dizziness rushed through my head. I shut my eyes.
When my vision focused again, I walked out into the living room and then stood in the kitchen entryway. "Hey," I just barely managed to choke out. He turned from the stove and rushed over to me.
"Are you okay? Are you going to fall over?" I shook my head and smiled. "Just tell me if you are so I can be ready."
"Okay." My voice crackled. I was surprized at how little voice I had.
"Go sit down in the living room and I'll bring this into you." I nodded and slowly made my way into the living room. I curled up into a ball on the couch. I was still so cold.
**Nick**
She looked terrible. I hated Brian right now for doing this to her. For freezing her to death and then leaving her. I mean, I could have gone with A.J. No problem, but I guess it's just as well. Kayci needed me right now, not Brian.
I picked up the black cup and started in towards the living room. She was scrunched up on the couch. I sat down next to her and handed her the cup. "It's really hot. Be careful."
"T-Thank you so much, Nick," she said. "You saved me."
"Huh?"
"I was so cold and Brian wouldn't let me go. He just kept me out there and it was like you read my mind and knew that I couldn't stand up alone. You saved me. Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me, Kayci. I love you."
"I love y-" She stopped. I guess it was force of habit for her to say it back whenever I said it. Truthfully, I wanted to test her.
"I know, Kayci," I said. "You love Brian." She took a quick sip of her hot chocolate and looked up at me.
"No, I don't." Well, it's about time, Kayci, that you realize that. A tear slipped down her cheek. Well I didn't want her to start crying!
"I'm sorry, Kay, I shouldn't have gone there."
"Yes...yes you should have. Because it's true. I don't love him. I-I love you. I always have." I brushed her tear away gently. I wanted to kiss her so badly. I wanted her back so badly. I moved closer to her.
**Brian**
I walked into Kayci's house. I walked into her room and I saw Nick sitting in a chair and Kayci was asleep in her bed. "Hey Nick. Thanks man."
"Brian, shh. She's sleeping. She couldn't sleep and I finally just gave her some sleeping pills." I was grateful to Nick for taking care of her, but now I was home. She was mine again and I could take care of her now. I went and sat down next to her. I leaned down and kissed her. She groggily opened her eyes.
"Brian?" she whispered. "What are you doing?"
"I'm home."
"That's nice." She rolled away from me and bundled back up.
I stood up and turned to Nick. "Some one's in a bad mood."
Nick gave me a strange look. Kinda angry. "Brian, why the hell did you wake her up?"
"I wanted to tell her that I was home."
"I'm sure she could have figured it out in the morning."
I was kind of annoyed now. "Thanks for everything, Nick, but I think you should leave."
"I think that I should stay."
"I think that you should leave."
"Brian, no."
"Nick, yes."
"I think that you should both leave!" Nick and I turned around to see Kayci sitting up.
**Kayci**
Brian walked over to me. "Kayci-"
"Brian leave! Please!" I was so pissed at him. First, he froze me and now, he wakes me up!
He held up his hands in defence. "Fine. I'm gone."
After he had walked out of my room, Nick just stared at me from the end of the bed. In a soft tone, he said, "Would you like me to leave too?" Of course not! I wanted him to stay with me, but I was still engaged to Brian.
I softened my tone and as politely as possible, I said, "Would you? Please? I just really want to be alone tonight."
"I totally understand. Good night, Kayci. Sleep well."
"Thank you, Nick. For everything." He just smiled and walked out of my room, shutting my door softly.
I laid back down and sighed. Nick and I didn't kiss earlier on the couch. We were going to but we heard a car door slam and I jumped. I looked out of the front door window and I saw Brian and A.J. helping Jessica and her things into her house. I decided that I wanted to go to bed and Nick had agreed that that would be the best thing. He said that he would wait for me to fall asleep but I couldn't, and I was so tired. He finally got me a sleeping pill and it felt so good to get some sleep. I can't believe that Brian would wake me up.
Tonight it had felt so good to be in Nick's arms. I felt so protected outside on the lawn. I sighed and shut my eyes and tried to fall asleep.
**Nick**
I opened my eyes. It was morning, yay. I hadn't slept very much all night. I rolled over...whoa! Ouch. I looked up and realized that I had rolled off the couch. I rubbed the back of my head and stood up. Stupid couch. Last night, Brian and I hadn't...gotten along very well after Kayci had kicked him out. I sat down on the couch and put my head in my hands. All I could hear was Brian yelling at me.
**Flashback**
I quietly closed Kayci's door and walked out to find Brian pacing in the living room. "She told you off," I said. It had just slipped out but I was still furious at Brian.
"Well I don't see you in there either!" he yelled. "And you shouldn't be! Nick, you gotta deal...she's mine! Not yours anymore. I'm the one who's marrying her, Nick, not you. Get used to it!"
"For your information, she nicely asked me to leave because she was tired. And being the nice, understanding guy that I am, I left to let her sleep instead of waking her up to tell her that I'm leaving!"
"Nick, shut the hell up. You have no idea where you're going with this."
"Oh yes I do."
"How so?
I was so God damn furious at Brian. "Listen Brian, I have known her for so much longer and I have been with her for so much longer. Do you even know her favorite color? Or her favorite TV shows?"
"Oh, television? You call Talk Soup educational? She has the worst taste in TV shows!"
"Brian, that is her! Not you. None of this is about you. This is about the woman that supposedly both of us love. If you really loved her, you would get used to her favorites and learn to love her for them. I guess that both of you are too different."
"That's not true! We have so much in common."
"Brian, do you know the theory of soul mates?"
"What?"
"They say that at the beginning of time, one soul split into two...male and female. And when you find your soul mate, you feel like you're looking at yourself. And when you give yourself to that person, that both of you become one and there is no more male and female...but just one."
"What are you getting at?"
"I'm saying that Kayci and I are one...we are soul mates. You two don't even belong together. Kayci and I do."
"Well then I guess you're going to have to get used to the fact that she's my soul mate now." With that, Brian walked off into another bedroom...
I stopped thinking about last night. Brian was so stupid. He was so naive. You can't just trade soul mates. Kayci and I are the same person, the same soul. I shook my head and cautiously made my way over to Kayci's door. I wanted to walk in to make sure that she was okay, but what if Brian were in there? He'd kill me. Well, I guess that it was a risk I was willing to take.
I slowly opened her door and peeked in. Good, no Brian. Not yet at least. I saw her begin to stir and she looked towards the door.
**Kayci**
I saw Nick standing in my door way. "Nick? Could you close the door please?" He started to close the door and walk away. "No, wait." He looked back at me and I laughed. "I meant come in...and then close the door."
"Oh." He laughed and walked in. He walked over to me and sat down next to me. My heart started racing faster and faster.
"I just didn't want the sun shining on me from the door." I moved and sat up against the head board.
"How are you feeling? Do you need anything?" He just made me smile. He looked so concerned and it was funny. "What are you laughing at?"
I put my hand on his face and kept laughing. "It's just...you look so concerned and I'm fine. I'm just...fine." He looked into my eyes and I stopped laughing and we both got serious. I wanted him back. But I didn't know how to break it off with Brian, I just couldn't! Nick would never take me back romantically. Never. "Nick?"
"Yeah?" I could feel his breath on my face and it made me shiver. "What is it?"
"Did you really mean that stuff about us being soul mates?" He jumped back. "Did I say something wrong?"
"No. Um...you heard that?"
"I heard everything. How could I not? You guys were yelling so loud practically outside of my door."
"Kayci, I'm so sorry about that."
"No, I'm sorry for turning two of the bestest friends in the world, against each other."
"It's not you-"
"Yes it is. But did you really mean that stuff?"
"Of course. When I look at you, I see myself. We love all of the same things, we do all of the same things. We share the same mind, the same heart, the same emotions...I appreciate your faults and you appreciate mine and that is true love, but it's something more with us. With us, I don't know it's-"
"Shh." I pressed my fingers to his lips. His...soft lips. I swallowed hard and tried to keep myself in control. Everything that he had just said, it was like nothing that Brian had ever said. I looked at Nick, and saw myself. He was so right. All of a sudden, my door opened. We jumped apart.
"Hey guys. Whatcha doing?"