Chapter 14

A couple of days had passed since Nick had left.  Gwen had spoken to Collin briefly, putting him off because she didn't know what to say to him.  As she sat at her desk thinking, Tess came in with a huge bouquet, there must have been four dozen yellow roses in it.  Gwen found the card and read it to herself, it said:

Gwen,

I just wanted to say hello and thank you for a wonderful weekend.  I need to talk to you about something that has come up so please be home tonight around 11...talk to you soon.  Enjoy the roses!

Love, Nick

What could it be?  She was totally distracted for the rest of the day.  She went home, waiting impatiently for Nick's call.  At 11:01 the phone rang, "Nicky?"

"Hi Gwen," he sounded so serious.

"Hi sweetie, you sound so serious.  What's the matter, I have been worried all day.  Is something going on?"

"Well, yeah...there is something."

"OK - are you alright?"

"Well, actually, I am not alright," Nick said, trying to remain calm, "Collin called Denise and asked if we would be able to sing at your wedding."

"You said no didn't you?"

"Yeah, Kevin covered for me."

"GOOD!" she let out a sigh of relief.

"So there is still a wedding?"

"Yes," she answered softly.

He began to tear up, still trying to hide what he was really feeling, "Even though you aren't in love with him?"

"Yes," she answered, feeling ashamed that she didn't have the nerve to tell Collin the truth, that she had fallen in love with someone else.

"How can you do that?" Nick was started to get upset, his tone changed, "I know you don't love him!  I have been with you, or have you forgotten.  You told me you love me!"

"Nicky, I do love you...but I can't hurt him."

"Oh, well that's just great Gwen.  You can't hurt him but you can hurt me?  The person that you claim to love.  That's fucked up!  Why are you fighting this?  You know we belong together.  The fact that you can't hurt Collin blows my mind because you would hurt me instead!" Now he was yelling.

She was crying, "Nick, I am sorry, I don't know what to do."

"You know what you should do Gwen, all am asking is that you follow your heart and try to think about me, and you for that matter.  You know we could be happy together."

"I am scared Nick."

"Scared of what?  Me?  Needing someone as much as they need you?  Well I am scared too but I can't turn back now.  We knew what would happen if we started this and we did it anyway," he began crying, "I meant everything I said to you this weekend, I tried to show you that I meant it but I guess that doesn't matter to you."

"It does matter Nick, it matters more than anything."

He cut her off, "I can't take this."

"Nick, No...."

"I will talk to you later, I just can't deal with this right now.  You know where to find me."

With those final words, the line went dead.  Gwen cried herself to sleep, she was crying for Collin - knowing that this would break his heart and she would be responsible, she was crying for Nick - because she knew this was hurting him and it would be hard to make this right, and she was crying for herself - out of fear of what she had to do and that she had found the man that she couldn't live without.

Chapter 15
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