With an exasperated sigh, Jessica tiredly mounted the stairs to her house. It had been a long, tiring day at work and the prospect of curling up in bed and drifting off to sleep was very enticing right about now. She was so exhausted that the usually daunting thought of her mother lurking about the house didn�t seem to bother her in the least.

Aside from the odd hour or two, Jessica had barely spent any time at home that week. All her time and energy had been spent absorbing everything she possibly could about Nick. The recent tumultuous onslaught of feelings and emotions which Nick had brought about were exhilarating and nerve-wracking all at once. She hadn�t been aware just what an integral part of her life he had become. She hadn�t realized how truly lonely she had been without him in her life either.

Jessica�s mother had been perfectly content being left to her own devices for the week. In fact, she barely noticed Jessica�s presence or lack thereof. She had more pressing matters to attend to than determining the whereabouts of her daughter. Jessica grasped the doorknob and with a weary sigh, slowly opened the door. The house had an eerily silent aura about it as she entered. A queasy feeling arose in her stomach as peered about cautiously, intimidated by the unusual silence. The absence of her mother�s usual shrill greeting was very strange.

As her blue eyes perused the house, anxiously anticipating her mother�s appearance at any given moment, she felt her breath catch in her throat as her eyes fell upon the staircase. At the foot of the stairs, stood an elite suitcase, packed and ready to go.

Jessica stood staring at the suitcase in amazement. A million different feelings and emotions raced throughout her mind, not one of them sadness or remorse. She was so enthralled by the suitcase and what it possibly meant that she didn�t even notice as her mother came down the stairs.

�I�m glad your home,� her mother said, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she quickly put an end to Jessica�s reverie.

Jessica throat was dry and her heart beat precariously as she desperately awaited an explanation. In heart though, she knew she would never receive one.

�I�m leaving for a while,� her mother told her coldly. Her eyes almost seemed to glint with evil happiness at the thought of being rid of Jessica for a while. It was almost as if she was taking pleasure in leaving Jessica alone.

A loud horn sounded just then and Jessica watched utterly helpless as her mother brushed past her, suitcase in tow. The door slammed loudly, the sound resonating throughout the entire house. Jessica watched silently and without so much as a wave or goodbye, her mother was gone. She stood, blindly staring at the door, her mouth in a taut line and her face completely devoid of any emotion. For now the nightmare was over, but Jessica knew this was all too good to be true. Soon, her mother would be back and the nightmare would start all over.

Jessica tossed and turned fitfully. The sheets were unbearably hot and uncomfortable as she moved about restlessly. She had been unable to sleep all night. The second she began to drift off, she would quickly awaken, deathly afraid to succumb to the undoubtedly horrible nightmares which awaited her.

Complete silence engulfed the entire house, a stark contrast from the usual raucous laughter which resonated from her mother�s room.

Finally giving up on sleep altogether, Jessica opened her eyes cautiously. The silence was definitely a welcome respite from the usual ceaseless noise, but Jessica found it almost uncanny in a sense that she couldn�t sleep.

As she sat up slowly, propping a pillow comfortably behind her, her mind began to swim. Visions of the cold, steely glare that her mother had shot her as she left danced unpleasantly before her. Jessica however, felt no sadness whatsoever due to her mother�s absence. She couldn�t. Instead, all she felt was the aching emptiness in her heart. Emptiness that she wasn�t sure anyone could ever fill - except maybe him.

Turning onto her side, she gazed awkwardly at the phone. A surge of loneliness washed over her as she gazed at it forlornly. Being with Nick was so simple. All the complexities of her life seemed to magically disappear when he was around. All that mattered when they were together was the two of them. Nothing else. Talking with Nick, watching a movie with Nick, falling asleep next to Nick on his couch were all things that she loved. What Jessica loved was the mere simplicity of it all. Everything seemed so uncomplicated with him around.

Grasping the phone, Jessica quickly dialled the familiar digits of his phone number. She felt her heart race as it always did as she awaited the sound of his voice on the other end.

�Hello?� he finally answered, his voice thick with sleep.

�Hi Nick,� she whispered.

�Jess? What time is it?� he asked sleepily. �Are you alright?� he asked instantly, his voice suddenly full of concern.

�It�s 2:43. I�m fine Nick. Just a little lonely I guess,� she admitted.

�Lonely huh? Well, you called the right person,� Nick told her with an impish grin. �I can be over in a few minutes,� he said, now fully awake.

A soft sigh escaped Jessica�s lips at Nick�s words. She wanted nothing more for Nick to be able to come over to her house. But somehow, even though she knew her mother wouldn�t be returning anytime soon, something about the idea of them being together in her house bothered her. Every where she looked, every room she entered, she could feel her mother�s presence. It was as if she was there in spirit, slyly watching Jessica and just waiting for her to do something wrong. For some reason, Jessica felt as though if Nick came over, her mother would know.

�Would it be alright if I came over there instead?� she asked her voice small as she squeezed her eyes shut.

�Sure,� Nick said slightly confused. Jessica�s paranoia about him coming over to her house got to him constantly but he always refrained from saying anything, rationalizing to himself that she must have a good reason. �At least let me come to pick you up then. It�s late,� he told her glancing at his clock.

�That�s alright Nick. I�ll be fine,� she said, her voice quiet.

�You sure?� he asked uncertainly.

�Positive,� she replied sounding anything but.

�Alright then,� Nick said with a worried sigh. �Drive safely.�

�I will.�

Nick hung up the phone, his face overwrought with confusion. Jessica hadn�t been herself on the phone, but he couldn�t figure out why. Nick was convinced Jessica�s strange behavior was definitely not because just of her loneliness. There had to be something more. Something didn�t fit and he knew that until she arrived, he would go crazy thinking about it.

Jessica drove carefully, her car slowly making its way through the pitch darkness. Glancing in her rear-view mirror, despite her mood, a small smile managed to escape her lips. Since she had met Nick, there had been a visible difference in her appearance. The once seemingly permanent dark circles had disappeared and some of the color had returned to her cheeks. The spark in her eyes however, was still gone.

Tearing her eyes from the mirror, Jessica focused her eyes on the road. Butterflies swarmed about in her stomach as she came closer to Nick�s place. She was extremely grateful that Nick hadn�t asked too many questions on the phone, but she was also aware that when she arrived he would be curious. She had learned early on that with Nick, it was almost impossible to hide anything from him. He was very perceptive and had this incredible ability to read her so well. He could always tell she was lying when she denied being upset about something.

Slowing her car, Jessica carefully pulled into a parking spot near Nick�s building. As she exited the car and walked towards the building, she contemplated what she would tell him. The whole elevator ride was also spent thinking and by the time she found herself in front of Nick�s door, she still had absolutely no idea what she was going to say. All she could think of at that moment, was Nick and how she felt when his strong arms were around her.

Nervously, she reached up and knocked lightly on the door. It swung open immediately, almost as if Nick had been eagerly awaiting her arrival. As the door opened, Jessica instinctively averted her eyes to the ground, worried that if Nick looked into them, even for a second, he would immediately realize that it was more that mere loneliness that had brought her here tonight.

As Jessica stood before him, Nick eyed her cautiously, immediately noticing her efforts to avoid his eyes. Instinct took over his body as he stepped towards her and without a word, gathered her into his arms. Nick felt her body shaking slightly as he took her into his arms. Pressing her body against his, Nick attempted to calm her down, gently caressing her soft hair with his hand.

Jessica closed her eyes, enjoying the serenity of Nick�s arms. As Nick stroked her hair gently, she felt her nervousness and loneliness slip away. At that moment, it felt so good and so right to be in Nick�s arms.

Nick pulled away from Jessica, attempting to look into her eyes and feeling his heart break slightly when she once again averted them to the ground. Gently, he reached for her hand and carefully guided her to his room. Carefully, he sat down on his bed, motioning for her to do the same. Obligingly, she did, resting her head carefully on his shoulder. The two sat in utter silence for a few moments, enjoying the proximity of one another�s bodies.

�Jess?� he inquired softly, taking her hand in his. �What�s wrong?� he asked sincerely. Nick was unable to see her face, but from the uncomfortable silence which ensued his question, he gathered that she wasn�t ready to delve into her feelings with him. Something was preventing her from opening up to him and it broke Nick�s heart to think about it.

Jessica took a deep breath, her lips quivering as she did so. She wanted nothing more to break down the wall that she had so adequately built up around herself. She wished that she could just tell Nick everything. She wanted nothing more than for him to help her through all the emotional turmoil she was going through right now. She knew that if she told him, Nick would be there every step of the way to kiss away her tears and hold her in his arms. Jessica was also aware that if she told Nick of all her demons, he would look at her differently and that was something she couldn�t deal with.

Taking his cue from the silence, much to Jessica�s relief, Nick decided not to prod any further. Carefully, he moved away from her and got up from the bed. Walking over to his closet, he reached for the same clothes she had worn weeks ago. Handing them gently to her, he dropped a small, soft kiss on her lips. �I�ll be on the sofa if you need anything,� he whispered into her ear.

As he turned to leave, Jessica felt something inexplicable clutch at her heart. Her eyes watched his retreating figure in confusion as a bout of sadness washed over her. �Nick. Wait,� she managed, her voice barely above a whisper.

�Yeah?� he asked turning around, genuine concern upon his face.

The concern written on his face, warmed her heart, touching her very soul. �Stay with me please,� she pleaded in a quiet whisper.

Although her voice was barely audible, her plea seemed to echo about the silent room as Nick walked towards her. He didn�t think twice as he sat down on the bed next to her. No words were spoken, but a silent understanding passed between the two of them as Nick arms surrounded Jessica once again.

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