"Hey Nick," she grinned over at Amanda, who sat back down and began pouted.
"Hey! Merry Christmas! I don't have long to talk but I just had to wish my girl Happy Holidays!"
"You too! I mean what is this? The third time we're talked this month? New record!"
"Forth."
"Oh sorry!" Candice laughed walking out of her living room and into the hall and into the extra room at the end of the hall. She had turned it into the video game room just for Nick.
"So anyway. Havin' a good Christmas so far?"
"Yup."
"Good. Good."
"You?"
"Fine."

"I mean I'm chillin' with my best friend and talkin' with my other best friend. I don't think it can get better than this."
"Sure hope not!" Nick laughed.
"Well ya know." Candice rolled her eyes.
"Hey but Happy New Year and have a great rest of the day! Love ya I gotta go!"
"Bye Nick."
"Peace." Candice threw the phone on the small sofa and walked back into her living room and stared at Amanda questionably. Her friend was sitting there in the middle of the room with all of her present's open. Candice snickered. That girl just could not wait five minutes.

"Oops," Amanda chuckled hiding her last present behind her back.
"Amanda. You are totally something else."
"I know! That's why I'm your best friend." Candice rolled her eyes and laughed out loud.
"Oh yeah. I'm sure that's it."

"Well, I've been talkin' to Nick more and I'm gonna visit him on his birthday. He'll be 21 years old. Man. I still can't believe he's gettin' so old. Geeze." She turned her head away from the window making the leather squeak as her head slid across the sofa. She stared at Paul. He wasn't writing anything she had been talking about for the half an hour. He wasn't even listening from what she could tell. She sighed loudly. "And they lived happily ever after." She said flatly trying to get her doctors attention somehow. He mumbled yes. She rolled her eyes and sat up on the sofa.
"Time already?" His head popped up and he finally stopped drawing.
"No."
"Why did you stop talking then?"
"What are ya doin' over there?" She asked standing up.
"Nothing." He whispered shutting his notebook.
"Nu uh! You gotta show me now. I pay some damn good money for YOU to listen to me and you're drawing! I mean at least ya should lemme see it!" She stepped closer to his chair grinning.
"Nope." He shook his head and held the book close to his chest. "It's not important."
"Of course it is! Otherwise you wouldn't be hidin' it from me!" Candice insisted as he went to stand up as she slid into a spot next to his chair.
"You are a truly evil girl, you know this?" He backed away from her trying to hold back his laughter.
"Oh! C'mon Paul! Just one little peek? Please?" She grinned.
"Whining will get you no where." Paul said as serious as he could. She always seem to bring out the child in him, and you would never had guess she had these problems. That was part of her charm, hiding her true feelings, at least when it came to the eating disorder. Most cases he had seen, the girls were quiet and shy and hid behind their clothes. He had never seen her do that. Maybe there was hope for her after all.

"So?" She almost had him pinned against the wall, she smiled. "All I wanna do is take a peek at what you are drawing there Mr. S. I mean it's not like that's you're diary or somethin'...or is it?" She laughed evilly as he ran into the wall. "Yuoink!" She tore the book out of his hands and ran across the room and leaned against the furthest wall and slumped down to the floor clutching the book to her chest. She looked up expecting Paul to be there trying to get his book back, but he wasn't. He was across the room laughing! He was on the floor laughing his fool head off.

Candice couldn't believe her ears or eyes. "What the hell?" She stood up and began to make her way back across the office. She held the book close. No telling when he would try and take it.
"That was too rich," he hollered standing up and straightening out his pants and shirt. She stopped midway and looked down at the book. It was a very nice leather bound book. It looked perfectly normal. No keep out sign. Nothing. But then again that would make it too obvious. She opened the book to the first page. It was blank. She turned to the next page and it was full of little pictures and comments. She looked down at the bottom left corner, her mouth hung open. It was dated well over 20 years ago. It was his journal. His personal journal. Candice blushed and closed her eyes. She could feel him standing just a few feet in front of her. She snapped the book shut and turned around to face him, he had a smug 'I told you so' look on his face, and that made her blush even more.
"Thank you. Now lay back down and talk." She made her way over to the sofa and closed her eyes. "Now back to you and Nick."
"Where did l leave off doctor?" She grinned to herself.
"You were talking about Nick's birthday party. He'll be 21 ya know." He smiled smugly.

Prick. Candice opened her eyes and stared back out at the people walking the streets. She sighed. They looked like ants. She spotted an old lady walking her and dog and just had to laugh. She felt like such an ass for doing that to Paul.
"Miss?"
"Oh yeah." She turned away from the window and looked straight ahead trying to concentrate. "I mean I really want to visit Nick. Sometimes I just wish we could have a normal relationship, that's all we need. Then I realize that we'll never have a very normal relationship, and it doesn't bother me much anymore. I just really want to know if Nick really means it when he says he loves me. Ya know?
  I just need to figure out if this happened because I was just there, or if both of our feelings are for real. I need to know if this is real. If Nick really is the one for me." Candice turned her head back toward Paul. How long had he been staring at me with that blank expression?
"I think you already know the answer to that."
Candice closed her eyes and fought back tears. Yes, I know! "I hate that."
"Hate what?"
She opened her eyes again and stared into his deep green ones. "When you're right."

"How much longer?" Candice whined looking down at her watch for the thousandth time that hour.
"Attention all passengers, this is your captain speaking. We will be landing in about 20 minutes, so please make sure you're buckled up and safe. And thanks for flying Trans World Airlines. Have a nice day."
"Geeze," Amanda sighed looking over at her friend who had just put her headphones on. It had been a long flight. Even though in reality it had only taken hours, it seemed like days. Amanda sighed again and requested another drink. Candice was about to burst and she could tell, all she knew was the answer was only minutes away now, and Amanda didn't want to be in the line of fire.

"Sure this is right?" Candice asked for the hundredth time.
"Yes! This is the right address!" Amanda screamed hoping to get her friend to shut up. Every three seconds after the plane landed. Are we there yet? Amanda was about to stop the car and throw Candice out.
"Ok! Ok. Fine." Candice sat silently sensing her friend was more than a little pissed at her excitement. Candice just couldn't sit still. She played with her hair. Turned on the radio. Listened to her head phones. Tried to stare at the scenery. Nothing helped. She was getting ready to see Nick. Her best friend Nick. Her Nick. The person she was fallilng in love with. The person she couldn't live without. The car stopped. Candice stared up at the house. Nick's house. She froze.
"I can't." She whispered repeatedly.
"Can't what?"
"I can't see Nick."