No, it was before then. Brian wasn't exactly sure when he had first
noticed Nick slipping away from him. Early on he had probably just dismissed
it as hormones. But Nick had definitely been more withdrawn lately, spending
a lot of time alone. When he was with the group Nick seemed cheerful enough
on the outside, but Brian could tell his thoughts were elsewhere. Maybe he
was just restless. Nick was just barely 20 now, but he'd been living under a
magnifying glass for over 6 years now. He'd grown up in the public eye,
having to check himself at every stage.
Brian sighed. 'And I haven't exactly been as attentive as I should
have,' he reminded himself. 'He probably thinks I'm abandoning him for
Leigh.' He shook his head. 'That's not right though. He KNOWS I love him,
he's my best friend, has been for... well ever, it seems. We need to have a
talk, man to man, as soon as possible. Tomorrow.'
Brian finished tucking Nick in and headed back to his bunk to think.
When he lay down Leighanne's arms automatically reached out for him, even in
her sleep, and he smiled. No, actually, he beamed as he kissed her cheek
again before snuggling up and falling asleep. Only the Lenny, the driver,
was awake to see the snow as it kept falling, growing larger and speeding
up. He cursed it with every breath in his body. Now they were on back roads,
and the lights were fewer and farther in between.