It had been one miserable week since the day he had gone to see her. His week had been spent ambling dazedly about the empty apartment and gazing out the window for hours on end. Often, Nick had sat in front of the phone, endlessly contemplating whether to call her. He never had though because he hadn�t known what he would say.

Jessica�s letter had remained ominously upon his bed in the exact spot he had left it. The whole week, he had been sleeping on the sofa, just so he wouldn�t have to go near it. Somehow, the letter�s presence seemed to give his whole bedroom a strange aura. Nick had avoided setting foot in his room whenever possible.

Come to think of it, he hadn�t done much of anything for the past few days. Nothing seemed important to him anymore. It was almost as if with her departure, Jessica had taken a part of him along. He was letting himself slip and he knew it. For some reason though, he just didn�t care.

Now, as Nick walked around his apartment he began to feel incredibly lonely. He missed having her there. He missed all the sleepless nights they had spent talking and whispering sweet words to one another. Nick missed everything about her � the intoxicating fragrant scent of her hair, her beautiful smile and the feel of her silky skin against his.

His mind began to race and suddenly it was inundated with images of her. Squeezing his eyes shut tightly, he shook his head and desperately tried to banish thoughts of her. It didn�t work though. Everywhere he looked, it seemed he was reminded of her somehow.

Quickly, he stalked over to his stereo, hoping to drown out his thoughts with music. The loud, pulsating beat filled the room and soon his ears adjusted to the new sound. The catchy beat captured his attention for all of two seconds before his thoughts shifted back to her.

With an angry sigh, he reached over and roughly flicked off the stereo. Dejectedly, he hurled himself onto the sofa, burying his head beneath a throw pillow. It was no use trying to forget her. She was under his skin.

With a sigh, Nick launched the throw pillow into the air hoping to vent some of his anger. The pillow sailed across the room, landing with a soft swish upon the floor. It didn�t help diminish his feelings one bit. He still felt the same as before. It was then that Nick realized that there was no way to rid her from his thoughts. He loved her. She had become a part of him. Without her, he felt that he couldn�t exist. It was incredibly daunting to know that another person had such an immense power over him.

With a muffled groan, Nick closed his eyes, silently brooding over the events of the past week. A surge of anger took over his body as he wracked his brain for some way to rectify the situation. There had to be something he could do. Some way he could speak to her, see her, even if it lasted for a matter of minutes.

Despite his misery, Nick was suddenly hit with an ingenious idea. Glancing at his watch, he noted that if he hurried, he would be right on time. Scurrying about his house, he readied himself as fast as he could. �This has to work,� he whispered to himself. Time was running out and Nick wasn�t so sure how long he could go on without her.

Jessica exited the hospital quickly, gratefully inhaling the fresh outdoor air. After a long strenuous day at work, it was a welcome respite from the stale stench of the hospital.

Her performance at work today had been less than stellar. In fact, all week she had been irritable and inattentive. She was withdrawn and moody as she visited the children. A contrived smile was plastered across her face, but most of her colleagues could see right through her. A couple of them had even approached her, asking her if she was alright, but she had merely snapped at them or made a snide remark.

With a sigh, Jessica made her way into the parking lot. Fishing around in her purse, she searched for her keys. Unable to find them, she stopped midstep with a frustrated sigh. Moving out of the way of oncoming traffic, she bent her head and began methodically searching her bag. She finally found her keys at the bottom of her purse buried beneath her wallet. Enclosing her fist around them, she retrieved the keys, quickly zipping her purse shut.

She looked up, prepared to head in the direction of her car, but instead let out an audible gasp. She felt her heart skip a beat as her legs became leaden. She was riveted to the ground, completely taken aback by the sight before her. What is he doing here? Her mind raced with nervousness but at the same time elation.

As Nick gazed at her, his heart began to beat faster. It was as though it had been an eternity since he had seen her last. It wasn�t until that second that the true extent of just how much he had missed her sunk in.

Nick eyed her cautiously, afraid that without any forewarning whatsoever she would take off again. It was best that he said what was needed as soon as possible. He couldn�t afford to loose this chance. He needed her too much.

He opened his mouth, poised to tell her everything but somehow unable to make a sound. Something in her eyes prevented him from doing so. In them he saw an infinite sadness, different than anything he�d ever seen in them before. There was a certain sad desperation in them that seemed to call out to him. He tried again to speak, but found himself at a loss for words.

Jessica, slightly flustered herself decided to speak first. �What are you doing here Nick?� she asked cautiously, her voice tinged with suspicion.

�I had to see you Jess. We really need to talk,� he replied, finally finding his voice. He wasn�t about to let her walk away again.

�Now isn't a good time Nick. I really have to get going,� she said, her voice lacking conviction as she gestured vaguely towards her car. Before her facial expression could betray her words, she took a step back from him, preparing to walk away. He wouldn�t have it though. Instinctively, he reached out and placed a gentle, yet firm hand upon her shoulder. �Don�t go Jess,� he whispered pleadingly.

Jessica stood, entranced by his touch as a warm sensation flooded her body. His touch was so comforting, so familiar. Somehow though, the new proximity of their bodies was a little daunting. She could feel her resolve crumbling as they stood silently. She desperately knew she had to get away from him before she weakened totally.

Before Jessica could utter a word however, he spoke. �How did this happen to us?� he asked quietly, his eyes searching her face for an answer.

Her lower lip started to quiver slightly and she knew it would be a matter of seconds before she lost it completely. His question hung in the air, waiting to be answered. She couldn�t do this. Not to him, not to herself. He was asking a question she didn�t have an answer to. �Nick, I really should get - � he interrupted her, silencing her with a soft finger to her lips.

�Explain it to me,� he begged in a hushed voice as he stared at her imploringly.

All at once her hands became clammy and her stomach queasy. Suddenly, she couldn�t bear to look at him any longer. A sinking feeling arose quickly in her heart just then as she hastily averted her eyes to the ground. �I � I cant,� she stammered.

�Why not?� he asked his face contorting with confusion. His grip slackened and his hand quickly dropped from her shoulder.

�Because I don�t even understand it myself,� she whispered, her voice barely audible.

And once again, contrary to the fact that he had sworn to himself he wouldn�t let her leave, he watched her walk quickly away from him. He stood, paralyzed, listening to the squeal of tires and watching as her car sped out of the parking lot and soon became nothing more than a mere dot.

Jessica tailgated dangerously, her car picking up speed. The scenery about her was a blur as she whizzed by. She drove recklessly, completely oblivious to the blaring horns and angry fists as she passed upset drivers. At that moment, she didn�t care. She figured that the maybe if she drove fast enough, she would be able to forget him.

As she drove, her own words seemed to resonate from every inch of her car. The effect was so stifling that she had to open the window slightly. �Because I don�t even understand myself.� Why had she said that? What did it mean? She was certain of her decision. It was for the best, wasn�t it?

Jessica let out a frustrated sigh. After seeing Nick today, she was no longer so convinced of anything. Just knowing that he had cared enough to track her down meant so much to her. She couldn�t deny the rush of feelings that had run through her body when she had seen him. She was sure he had felt it too. She had seen it briefly in his eyes.

Walking away from Nick today, she had been tempted so many times to turn around and run back to him. The prospect of his powerful arms around her had almost made her do it too. Miraculously however, she had managed to stay strong and not give in to temptation.

In the past week, whenever she found herself thinking about Nick, the insistent voice in her head would tell her to forget and that what she was doing was for the best. In the beginning the voice had been loud and firm but with time it had become weaker. Now, it was nothing more than a mere whisper.

Jessica pulled slowly into her driveway, turning off the engine. With an exasperated sigh she got out of the car, barely concerned about the greeting she would receive from her mother. As she walked up the stairs however, she suddenly stopped. A cold, icy shiver raced up her spine, forcing all thoughts of Nick from her mind. Suddenly, the eerie feeling that seemed to be emanating from the house became very obvious to her. The whole house seemed to have a strange aura about it. Almost like something was very wrong.

She stood, motionless for a few minutes. Finally she shook her head, clearing her thoughts. Her imagination was getting the best of her as it always did when she was stressed out. Ignoring all her doubt she took a deep breath and inserted her key, grasping the doorknob tightly.

As she entered the house she quickly noticed the mysterious silence that hung in the air. Looking around, she suddenly felt her legs buckle as she found herself wishing desperately that she hadn�t opened the door in the first place.

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