“Gwen? GWEN!!!” Nick yelled.

“What? I just got in from jogging...and why are you yelling?” Gwen inquired as she walked into the kitchen covered in sweat, wearing a pair of running shorts and a sports bra to find Nick destroying the laundry room, “What the hell are you doing?”

“I am looking for my shorts...you know, the khaki ones that are starting to fray at the end.”

“You aren’t going to find them here.”

Starting to get irritated, Nick asked, “Well are you going to help me, since you seem to know where they are?”

A strange look crossed Gwen’s face as she began to stumble over her words, “Well...I...actually honey, they...um...”

“Gwen,” he said in an annoyed tone, “You tossed them didn’t you?” She didn’t answer, “Gwendolyn,” he said again, this time picking up her face with a finger and began walking her backwards into the kitchen, “You tossed them didn’t you?”

As they bumped into the island in the middle of the kitchen she looked down, painfully aware of how close he was to her and knowing that he was going to be pissed, she nodded and immediately began trying to explain herself, “Nicky, they were all tattered, you have plenty of shorts, khaki shorts at that and I didn’t think you would mind.”

“Wouldn’t mind? Dammit Gwen, you knew I would mind. Just like you knew that I didn’t want you going through all of my stuff when I wasn’t here. Now, my FAVORITE shorts are history.”

Nick backed away from her and for some reason, Gwen began to softly cry. She was trying to hold back her tears but Nick’s yelling had gotten to her. Lately, she had been emotional, she didn’t know if it was the wedding or what, but her moods had been changing like the minutes on a clock. “I’m sorry.”

Nick looked at her, the real her, thru his anger and noticed for the first time that she was crying. Almost by instinct, he reached out to her, wrapping his arms around her and stroking her back. “See, look what you are doing now, I am supposed to be mad about this and you start to cry. Can’t you let me be right just once?”

Thru her sniffles, “You are right Nicky, I shouldn’t have gone thru your stuff...and I really shouldn’t have thrown them away. I don’t even know why I am crying, usually I would fight back and win, but I just feel like crying and I don’t know why.”

Tenderness took over as Nick began to caress her back and place light kisses on her forehead. “Shhh, Gwenny its ok...I shouldn’t have yelled at you but I didn’t think that you would get this upset about it.”

She was now shaking, crying harder than she was before, “I can’t believe you would want to marry someone like me...someone who throws your favorite things away. I am horrible, why do you want me to be your wife?”

Confused by the emotions she was showing, Nick was at a loss, “Babydoll, you know I love you and I think that you are a great wife. I don’t know what has gotten you so upset, maybe it is the wedding, but hey...” he whispered as he lifted her tear stained face to meet his, “lemme let you in on a secret...we are already married, so this is just like a performance for our family and friends.”

Thinking about his words, Gwen’s tears subsided and suddenly she yelled, “Oh...so that is all this is to you...a performance. Good God Nick, this is our wedding. This is us showing other people that we supposedly love each other...just another big joke. I don’t know why I married you in the first place.”

Gwen stormed out of the room, leaving Nick dumbfounded at her actions. She had been overly sensitive and down right mean at times ever since he had returned from New York. He was beginning to wonder if what was bothering her was more than their impending nuptials.