“I just don’t understand it, Nicole! A week ago, he spent the whole night convincing me that he really did love me, and then all of a sudden he’s saying he wants to separate. It doesn’t make any sense!” Leslie vented to her best friend after putting Riley down for a nap.
“I don’t understand it either. I wish I knew what to tell you,” Nicole said as they sat down on the couch in Leslie’s living room.
“It’s been two days. Two days! And I already can’t stand not having him here. Why is he doing this to me? Just looking around our room and not seeing any of his things there, it upsets me. All of this was just so… unexpected and sudden.”
“Maybe he’s just scared. I think everything that’s going on with his family is upsetting him more than he’s showing people.”
“Whose side are you on here? He DESERTED us, Nicole, not the other way around.”
“I was just saying that I’m sure there are reasons to why he is acting the way he is. And he didn’t desert you two. He comes to see Riley at least once a day.”
“Stop defending him! You’re supposed to be my best friend, not his!”
“I’m not defending him, Leslie. I’m only trying to be the voice of reason here. Obviously you’re not ready to listen to that yet, but that’s no reason to yell at me,” Nicole reprimanded her friend, then stood and began towards the front door. “Now, before you can bitch at me some more, I’m going to go. I have some things I have to get done. Plus, it’s almost three, which means JC will be here to pick up Riley soon. Do the smart thing, and try to talk to him while he’s here, instead of just giving him the cold shoulder again. I’ll talk to you later, ok?”
“Yeah. Bye, Nicole.”
“Bye.”
At Justin’s House
Nicole felt a sudden wave of drowsiness flow through her and decided that she would take a short nap before dinner. Once she’d climbed into her bed and settled down, Kierra promptly jumped onto the bed and curled up next to her. The sight of the kitten and the warmth she shared brought thoughts of Lance to Nicole’s mind, as she often did. Nicole refused to let Lance ruin sleep for her again. Her refusal, however, went unrecognized to the powers that be. For as soon as her eyes closed, her dreams were once again haunted by memories of her recent relationship.
**Flashback**
Nicole looked up at her best friend from the hospital bed on which she rested. “I just don’t get it, Leslie. I gave him everything he asked for and I loved him with everything I had in me. Yet he still cheated on me, hit me, and even when I gave into him and had sex, he still put me in the hospital. What horrible thing did I do to deserve this punishment?”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Nicole. That’s your problem. He’s convinced you, brainwashed you, into thinking that you’re not the wonderful person that you really are. You didn’t deserve any of this that he is putting you through. You can do so much better than this. He doesn’t deserve you.” Leslie attempted to deprogram this mindset that Lance had put Nicole in.
“But I love him,” Nicole argued.
“If you’re still saying that after everything that’s happened tonight, then you truly are a fool, and I…”
Leslie was interrupted by the sound of shouting that was coming from just outside Nicole’s hospital room door. The voices were instantly recognized by both of them as Lance and Joey.
“You’ve been trying to break us up for the longest time! You always wanted Nicole, but I was the one she liked!…”
** End Flashback **
** Flashback **
Nicole closed the front door behind her as she entered their condo after a long day of photo shoots. She groaned as she looked back on her busy day. “Ugh… Being a photographer can certainly be a tiring job,” she thought aloud. She slipped her shoes off next to the door and began to walk down the hallway. However, before she took her first step, she noticed the Hershey’s Kisses that were lined up down the hallway in front of her. She followed the trail of candy down the hall, through the living room and kitchen, down another hall, and into the bedroom. There, she saw a note on her pillow.
Now that I’ve kissed the ground you walk on…
Once she’s picked up the note, and begun to read it, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist and a few soft kisses on the back of her neck. Lance turned her around to face him.
“Can I kiss you?” he asked, finishing the line on the paper. Without waiting for an answer, he leaned in and captured her lips. As she snaked her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss, he picked her up and laid her gently down on the bed. The kiss became more heated and Nicole felt Lance’s hand begin to creep up under her shirt.
She pulled away from him slightly, “Lance, where are you trying to go with this?” she questioned, though she already knew his answer.
“We’ve been together seven months, Nicole. I think I’ve waited long enough.”
“I told you I wasn’t ready for that.” She scooted away from him a little, just to put a little distance between them.
“Dammit, Nicole! How long do you expect me to wait?” he yelled.
“You don’t have to yell at me. I’m just not ready yet.”
“And I’ll ask you again. How long do you expect me to wait for you? Don’t you realize that I could drop you right now and get a girl that’s actually willing to give me EVERYTHING I want within the hour?”
Nicole looked down at her hands, “Well, if I’m that replaceable, then maybe we shouldn’t be together at all.”
“God, DAMMIT! You know that’s not what I mean, Nicole!”
“Well, that’s pretty much what you just said.”
“AHH! I’m sick of this damn ‘oh pity me because I’m a poor innocent virgin’ crap. Just… shut the hell up!”
“I…”
“Don’t argue with me,” he raised his hand back to hit her. When she slid further away from him and curled up to get away from the blow she knew would eventually hit her, he realized what he’d been doing lately. Since when had he begun to get violent with her? He dropped his hand back to his side and just looked at her, knees pulled to her chest, looking like she was about to cry. “Nicole? Baby?”
She wouldn’t even look at him.
He touched her back softly to soothe her, but the contact caused her to jump away from him. “Baby, I’m sorry.”
Her blank stare made him continue.
“You know I didn’t mean it,” he apologized, “Right?” he coaxed her.
Slowly, she uncurled from the fetal position she’d balled into to protect herself, nodding in answer to his question.
Carefully, he pulled her into his arms. “Good. I don’t like hurting you. I love you.”
“I love you too, Lance,” she whispered as she slid her arms cautiously around him in a soft hug.
** End Flashback **
“Wake up, Nicole,” she heard someone say to her as they gently tried to shake her awake.
“Huh?” she mumbled in a sleepy state, “What?” Her vision slowly focused and she noticed that the person waking her was Justin. “What do you want, Justin?”
“I came in here because I heard you whimpering or something. Are you ok?”
“It was just a dream.”
“Another one?”
“Yeah.”
“Nicole, this isn’t healthy at all.”
“Well, I don’t know what to do about it. How do you propose I make them stop?”
“Maybe you should talk to someone. And I don’t mean one of us. I mean a professional. Even if it’s just once or twice. Maybe they can prescribe something to help you sleep better.”
“I don’t need a professional, Justin.”
“It’s just a suggestion.”
“I think it’s time that I started looking for my own apartment.”
“Nicole, you don’t have to do that. I was just trying to help.”
“No, it’s not that. I just feel like I’m taking advantage of your hospitality.”
“You know you’re always welcome to stay here.”
“I know. But I need to get out on my own again. I need to do this for my own sanity. I need to move on.”
“If that’s what you want.”
The Next Day
**Ding Dong**
Nicole got up from the table and answered the front door. Leslie walked in, carrying Riley in her arms.
“Hey, girl,” she greeted Nicole as she followed her back to the kitchen.
“Hey,” she replied, sitting down at the table again.
“What are you doing?” Leslie questioned, watching her best friend circle something in the newspaper.
“Apartment hunting.”
“You don’t have to do that. I was actually gonna ask you if you wanted to move in with me.”
“Thanks, but I think I want to get a place of my own. Plus, I doubt JC will be gone that long. I know you guys will work this out.”
“I wish I had that confidence.”
“Stop worrying about it. He’ll realize what a mistake he’s making and come back.”
“I really don’t want to talk about this.”
“Alright. So what brings you here?”
“Justin was gonna take Riley to the zoo with JC today.”
“Well, why didn’t JC just pick her up?”
“I think he’s avoiding me,” her voice showing her disappointment.
“Oh. Nevermind then. Subject is dropped.”
“You mind if I tag along with you today in your apartment hunting?”
“Of course not. I could use your opinion anyway, since you’ll probably be there half the time visiting.”
“Great.”
A Few Days Later
“I think that’s the last box, y’all,” Nicole said as Justin and Joey set a large brown box on the floor.
“Finally!” Joey exclaimed as he twisted his body around, stretching his tired muscles.
“Thank you guys so much for helping me move all this stuff. I really appreciate it.”
“Anytime, babydoll,” Justin replied. “On second thought, not anytime. You don’t need to move anytime in the near future. So, maybe next time you move in a few years… And I’m just gonna shut up now, because I’m rambling.”
“Good idea, buddy,” Joey patted his shoulder.
“Are y’all hungry? I feel like some Chinese,” Nicole asked.
“I don’t know…”
“My treat.”
“Alright,” they both agreed quickly.
“You guys just put the table back together and I’ll be back in 20 minutes.”
“Nicole…” they whined as she closed the door behind her.
Meanwhile
**Ring, Ring**
“Hello,” Leslie answered the phone.
“Hey, sweetie!” Karen greeted her daughter-in-law.
“Hi, mom.”
“How’s my baby doing?”
“Riley’s doing great. She’s growing so fast.”
“That’s wonderful, but actually I was talking about Josh.”
“Oh. I don’t know how he’s doing. Why didn’t you just call him to ask him that?”
“I thought that’s what I was doing.”
“Huh?”
“Isn’t he there?”
“You mean he didn’t tell you?”
“Obviously not. Tell me what?”
“He moved out.”
“He what?”
“We’re separated. He’s living in an apartment for right now.”
“Why on earth did this happen?”
“Don’t ask me. He’s the one that suggested it. I don’t understand it either. It’s like, one day he was doing his best to convince me that he really does love me, and a week later he’s moving out. It makes no sense.”
“This is just awful!”
“I know.”
“Sweetheart, I have to go. I was just calling to check up on you guys, but I’ll talk to you soon. Ok?”
“Alright. Bye.”
“Bye.”
Immediately after Karen hung up with Leslie, she phoned Roy.
“Hello?” a voice answered the phone.
“Roy, you need to talk some sense into our son!”
“Karen?”
“Yes.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I just got off the phone with Leslie, and apparently our son is trying to sabotage his future.”
“Ok. I’m lost, as usual.”
“He moved out of the penthouse. They’re separated, because that’s what he wanted.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know for sure, but I think it has something to do with what happened between us.”
“Oh, no.”
“I know. Could you please try to talk some sense into him?”
“Of course. I’ll call him tomorrow.”
“Thank you.”
“Not a problem. Bye.”
“Bye.”