�Evangelique�
I walked off the elevator and saw Shakira sitting at her desk. She looked up and smiled, as I walked over to her. It was a month later and I was finally over my sickness. Plus it was a few days before my wedding. I sat on the sofa and sighed.
�Hectic morning?� Shakira asked.
�More like bad morning. CJ changed the wedding cake on me and we got into it over how many flowers.�
�He changed the cake?�
�He changed the marble to plain white. He knows I don�t like white cake. Then he got five tiers instead of the three we agreed on.�
�Are you serious?�
�Yeah; then he ordered 5,000 roses instead of the 1,000. And get this shit, he expects me to pay for everything.�
�What a jerk.�
�Yes he is. I told him not to bother me for the rest of the day.�
�Ya know he ain�t going to listen.�
�Of course he won�t. He never does. It just got worse since he met Nicky.� Shakira grinned and we heard music coming from my office. �What is Trisha doing?� I got up.
�Um�it ain�t Trisha.�
�Then who is it?�
�A Mr. Nick Carter.� She smiled.
�What is he doing here?�
�I don�t know. Trisha left for lunch and he came.�
�Oh; well excuse me.� I opened my office door and saw Nickolas lying on the sofa listening to the Backstreet Boys� �How Did I Fall in Love with You�. I shut the door and walked over to him. He had his eyes closed and I put my stuff on the table. I smiled and slowly got on top of him. He didn�t budge and I took my tongue up his neck like I used to when he wouldn�t move. He opened his eyes and I smiled. �What are you doing?�
�What are you doing?� Nickolas asked me.
�Getting your attention.�
�I see that.�
�What are you doing?�
�Listening to some old BSB.�
�Why?�
�To see how we changed.�
�Right.� I didn�t believe any of it. �You don�t listen to this stuff.� He smiled.
�I�m glad you�re better.�
�Same here.� I got up and sat on him. �What are you doing here?�
�Came to have lunch with my best friend.� He pointed to the table and I looked to see the pizza box and soda. �Extra cheese, pepperoni, sausage, and ham with Mountain Dew.�
�Nice. It smells good.�
�Of course it does.� He smiled and I got a poke.
�Nickolas!�
�What?�
�You�ll get what.� I got up and walked from him.
�Come on, Sugar Bear.�
�I�m glad I make you horny, but are you forgetting I�m getting married Saturday at 2:00?�
�I forget purposely.�
�Of course you do.�
�I do, because I don�t want ya to get married.�
�I�m not having this conversation.�
�Alright.� I sat at my desk and sighed. �Everything alright?�
�Of course.� We looked at each other. �I don�t know really. CJ wants me to pay for all the changes he made.� Nickolas sat at my desk looked at me.� My dream wedding is on the beach with friends and family and a bunch of red roses.�
�I know.�
�But when it came time to plan my wedding with CJ I just wanted something simple and in a church. That�s what I planned and CJ goes and changes everything. He adds 4,000 more roses, two more tiers on the cake, tells everyone the reception�s at Marcus� instead of Lana�s, changes are honeymoon to Malibu from Paris��
�Paris, huh?� I looked at him and he shook his head.
�What?�
�When you were sick I got the impression that you never wanted to experience Paris with anyone besides me.�
�I don�t. I didn�t want to go to Paris in the first place. It�s changed and I�m glad about that.� I gave him a grin. �Then plus he expects me to pay for all the changes.�
�Tell him you�re not doing it.�
�I did, but we just got into a huge fight about it this morning at the church.�
�What�d Father Sena say?�
�That maybe we shouldn�t get married. I�m beginning to think that maybe he�s right. CJ just went off on him and stormed out.�
�If you won�t listen to me then listen to Father Sena. He�s performed hundreds of marriage ceremonies and knows love when he sees it. He married your parents didn�t he?�
�Yeah.�
�Alright. How long have they been married?�
�Thirty-five years and still in love.�
�Then listen to Father Sena, because he knows best.�
�I guess you�re right.�
�I am. Think about what he said to you and what I said to you.� I looked at him and he looked at me sympathetically.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
�Nickolas�
Perhaps if Evangelique listens to Father Sena I won�t need to tell her how I feel right now. This is a big step she will be taking on Saturday and it�s not the right step. I know she knows deep down it�s not the right thing to do. She�s a smart girl and will figure it out. She can�t go through with this wedding. If she goes through with this wedding she will just be making a huge mistake and will never forgive herself. I will never forgive her.
�Why are you listening to this song?� Evangelique asked and I looked at her. �This is, like, the third time I heard it since I came in.�
�Uh�� I grinned. �It�s a great song and I like it. Howie�s a good writer.�
�Whatever; I�ve known you 21 years and you can hardly lie to me.� I continued grinning. �Did you fall in love?� I looked at her in shock. �Who is she, Butter Cup?�
�No one, because I ain�t in love. I made a face and walked away. What a lie that was.
�Just tell me. I�m your best friend.�
�It�s no one. I�m not in love.�
�Yes you are and I finally see it.� I looked at her. �I was too caught up in my life and problems to even notice that you�re in love.� I sighed. �You can�t lie to me about it, Nicky. I�m surrounded by love everyday. Everyone I know is in love.� I just looked at her. �Ya know I�m right so just tell me who she is.�
�If you know what love is then why can�t you see that you�re not in love with Cameron Porter?�
�This is not about me right now.�
�Why not? I�m not the one getting married this weekend and making the hugest mistake of my life.�
�Me getting married is a mistake?�
�Yes it is, because you�re not in love with him and I know that deep down inside you know that also.�
�I do love CJ.�
�No you don�t. What you two have is not love.�
�Then what is it?�
�I don�t know, but what it ain�t is love.�
�You�re insane, Nick.�
�I�m insane? I�m not the one marrying someone I don�t love. Ask Father Sena, because he�d say the same thing.�
�Really?�
�Yeah. Ask your parents, ask Rok and Leigh, Kristin and Kev, and even ask Alex and Amanda. Hell, even ask Gabi and Aaron while you�re at it. They�ll all tell ya the same thing I am right now�you don�t love CJ.� She just looked at me angrily. �Fuck, Evvie, why don�t ya just open your eyes and see what you�re doing. See the mistake you�re making.�
�I�m not making a mistake, Nick. I�m just doing something I wanted my whole life.� I saw the pain in her eyes covering the anger.
�But why him?�
�Because he asked.�
�Because he asked?� I didn�t understand.
�Yes.�
�Not because you love him?� She just looked at me and the pain in her eyes was replaced with hatred. Hatred for the first time and it was directed towards me. It was also mixed with tears. �Evvie.� I walked towards her and she backed up. �Sugar Bear, I only want what�s best for you and its obvious this guy ain�t best for you.�
�Do you? Our whole lives all you�ve been doing is telling me my boyfriends weren�t worth it when half of them were. Yet you always found a way to get them out of my life. What�d you say to them?�
�I never said anything. They dumped you of their own free will.�
�Yeah right.�
�What about you, huh? You did the same thing to me. You hated every girl I dated.�
�Because I knew what they really were.�
�Did you? Maybe you didn�t give them a chance because you were, and still are, afraid that they�ll take me away from you. Believe me when I say that�s how I feel right now. I�m so afraid that Cameron isn�t going to want you to see me anymore and just take you away.� She just looked at me. �Another thing, did you ever stop and think about the fact that maybe your boyfriends dumped you because you are constantly thinking and talking about me? Did you ever think about that?�
�No, because it ain�t true.�
�Isn�t it?�
�No.�
�Could�ve fooled me.� She just looked at me knowing I was right and that�s when it hit me. �You don�t love CJ and don�t want me with anyone, because you�re in love with me.�
�Excuse me? What did you say?�
�You heard me. You�re in love with me and hate not being able to be with me so you�re going to marry the first guy that asks.�
�That�s not true, Nick, and you know it.�
�Of course it is.�
�You�re my best friend.�
�That doesn�t matter, Sweetie.�
�I think you�ve seen one too many movies.�
�Well I think you have been down in that chemical lab one too many time.� She went hit me, but I grabbed her arm, stopping her. �Don�t be like Horizon.� She just looked at me. �Aaron and Brian pointed it out to me and I thought they were crazy. Then I sat down and actually thought about it and decided that maybe they�re right after all. I even thought about all the things that happened between us and shit.�
�Wh-Wh-What do you mean?�
�That night in Paris, all those nights we came close, all those things we do to each other�just everything. Friends, like us, don�t do things like that.�
�Why are you doing this?�
�To fully open your eyes.�
�My eyes are fully open.�
�Well I don�t think they are.�
�Then that�s your problem and not mine.�
�Why can�t you just see the truth, Sugar Bear? You�re in love with me.� If only she would admit it then everything would be fine.
�Why don�t ya just leave, huh? You have no right coming in her and saying what you said.� She pulled her arm away.
�Evvie, I��
�Just get out alright. You�re supposed to be my best friend and you�re not even acting like it.�
�Well then how am I acting?�
�Like a complete ass and I hate it so just get out.� I left out a disgusted sigh and looked at her. She turned from me and walked over to the window.
�Sugar Bear, I�m sorry.�
�Just go, ok? Please?�
�Fine, but I�ll be back later to share that pizza with you.� She didn�t say anything and continued looking out the window. I just shook my head and walked out.
CHAPTER 17
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