Leah walked down the stairs the next morning to see Nick seeing the girl from the night before, who was now fully dressed, out the door. She sighed and leaned against the wall, waiting for his little lady to leave and for him to notice her presence. Nick closed the door behind the girl and turned around to see Leah standing there. He sighed and looked down, covering his face with his hands for a moment.
Moving them away he whispered, "I'm sorry, Lee. I know we promised we wouldn't do that ... I mean, that we'd at least go to our rooms. I'm sorry."
Leah was surprised to see that tears had formed in his eyes as he looked away so she wouldn't see how emotional this was making him. "Nick," she walked over to him and touched his face with her hands so that he'd look at her. "Nick, it's not that bigga deal. It's okay."
Nick's shoulders slumped as he looked down at her and sighed, "Lee, it is a big deal. I haven't ... I haven't been with someone since ... since ..."
"Since what?"
"Since I fell in love with you."
Leah groaned quietly, "Nick, don't start this again," she dropped her hands and left them down at her sides. "Please."
"Leah, I'm serious. I don't want anybody else. But, you know what, you have Freddy now and you don't need me anymore, so-"
"Nick!" Leah shrieked, rolling her eyes and grabbing her head with her hands. "You know that isn't true! I am so sure. You are my best friend! Of course I need you!"
Nick didn't answer, he just continued to look at the ground below him.
"Fine," she sighed. "Nick, let's just forget it and go out on the boat, okay? Are you ready?"
"Yeah ... Where'd you and Freddy go last night?" Nick asked as they grabbed some stuff to bring with them.
Leah looked at him and hesitated, "Umm ... actually, he bought a boat a few days ago. He surprised me."
"Oh ..."
"Nick."
"What?"
"What's wrong?" Leah looked at him warily. Their trouble was starting again.
Nick answered as they walked down to the docks, "Nothing. It's just ... well, it's kind of weird that you would go out on a boat with him, when you know that you're going with me to do the same thing the next day."
"Nick ... first of all, I don't mind doing the same thing two days in a row. Second of all, it's completely different when it's you and when it's him."
Nick stopped walking and looked at her.
"I didn't mean it like that," Leah groaned and covered her face. "I'm sorry. I really didn't."
"Let's just forget we had this conversation," Nick said before walking away and getting on the boat.
Leah sighed.
~ * ~
Freddy looked at Leah from across the restaurant table a few days later. He'd called her up and they'd decided to go get some lunch, but she seemed awfully distant.
"Lee ... what's wrong?" he reached over and grabbed her hand in his.
Leah looked up at Freddy and sighed, "Nothing, baby ... well, okay, there's something."
"Yeah, I thought so. What is it?"
"I just ... it's starting again."
"What is?" Freddy looked confused. "What's starting again?"
"With Nick."
"Ohhhh," Freddy suddenly understood.
"He started talking about the fact that he loves me, again. And I just ... I don't know how to handle it," Leah looked down and played with her napkin with her free hand.
"Well, maybe you should move out."
"What?" Leah looked up at him in confusion. "Where the hell would I go?"
"My place."
Her eyes widened as they darted around the restaurant, "Oh ... wow."
"What do you say?"
She sat there thinking for a moment before softly shaking her head, "No, Fred ... I can't ... not yet. I'm not even ready to move out of his house. He's still my best friend and I enjoy living with him ... it just gets difficult when he gets like this."
Freddy nodded in understanding, "All right ... well the offer's always there if you want it."
"Thank you."
They went back to their lunch but Freddy could tell that there was something else still bothering her.
"Leah, are you sure that was all? Or is there something else?" Freddy inquired, squeezing her hand in his. "You can talk to me; you know that, right?"
"Yeah," Leah nodded. She couldn't bring herself to ask him what would happen if he decided to leave the Devil Rays and go to another team. She was too scared of what the answer would be. "It's just ... well, where do you see us in the future?" Next best question.
Freddy smiled a half smile as his eyes adverted bashfully, "Uhmmm ... I see us together forever."
She grinned as he finally looked back up at her, a smile much like hers written across his face. "Really?" she asked, grabbing his other hand with her own. "Do you promise?"
"Yes ... I promise."
Leah couldn't help but wonder what would happen when he was traded. Would he really choose her over his career? She wasn't so sure about that.
